


Love You to Death.

by AVT



Category: American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Dom Michael, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hate Sex, Hate to Love, Heavy Angst, Jealous Michael, Love/Hate, Magic, Occult, Shameless Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2019-10-18 17:29:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17585192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AVT/pseuds/AVT
Summary: Michael Langdon is the antichrist in physical form.Every part of his being is bathed in lust and dust.He's used to every person and demon straight from hell falling at his feet.What happens if one doesn't?Michael Langdon x OC AU.I do not own Michael Langdon or American Horror Story. I only own OC and original bits of the plot. I do not own gifs or art used in story, all credit goes the wonderful artists that made them.





	1. Prologue.

"Witch," Michael spat, "You thought you could hide under my nose!"

"I was never hiding, Michael." She smirked, sending his rage over the edge.

"Get out of my fucking sight before I slit your throat myself." Michael retorted, trying to control his own emotions.

"As you wish." Aemalia curtsied.

Michael sat and stewed in his anger, eventually picking up a glass paper weight off of his desk and shattering it against the wall. He thought he has destroyed every witch on Earth. He kept most of them in a certain circle of hell. How did she escape his grasp?

I thought this up within a few hours. I've never written anything involving magic or fantasy and I'm stoked about trying my hand at it. I've been watching American Horror Story for years and Coven was my favorite season but the Apocalypse season has inspired me in so many different ways. How I could put my own spin on it and how I could end it better than the season actually ended (because honestly, what was that). Also, in this AU even in the Outpost Michael has shorter hair for a while.

Buckle up, kids.

Mostly inspired while listening to Love You to Death by Type O Negative and Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666 by HIM.


	2. Chapter 1; Delving into darkness.

Michael Langdon was born to end the world. Even if he wanted to fight that fact there was no use. He went through life torment after torment until fate stepped in and he landed at Hawthorne, the all boy Warlock school. The other young warlocks didn't like him, some of them even seemed to fear him. He didn't fit in anywhere he went so why would this be any different.

He went through class after class full well knowing he can do anything they were trying to teach him without even breaking a sweat. Any demonstration of his powers always overwhelmed the teachers, a mix of excitement and fear in their eyes. He would smirk to himself when they would pull him to the side after class and compliment him on his powers and sometimes ask for his secrets.

But he had none.

He was only doing what invisible forces were pulling him to do. He knew what he was. He had always known he was different, there was no denying it to himself. When his parentage was revealed he sunk further into darkness. Part human he may be but the darkness from his father overtook him after the Satanists lured him into their clutches with blood and sacrifices.

He was a lot of things but he was not the alpha. Not in the way the Warlock's believed anyways. He was the Alpha of all and he reigned in darkness. Yet, he was alone. He was always alone. He prepared for the end of the world and made sure the witches that burned his Ms. Meade at the stake were all taken care of personally before the blast. At least he thought he had.

One lingered. She was chosen by Cordelia to end Michael, once and for all. Her lineage twisted all the way back to Salem and one of the witches that got away. She was powerful beyond words and many of the other witches at Robicheaux academy learned from her during her time there. She was dark but she managed to balance it out with the good that lingered deep inside of her.

Her name was Aemilia Price.

Her roots harkened back to Wales, where her family fled when their powers couldn't be hidden any longer. It seemed like regardless of where they went they would never be accepted by others, which eventually lead a number of them to turn their backs on God fearing non magic folk. Except for Aemilia's mother.

She fell in love with a man that didn't have a magical bone in his body. He followed her to America when they were forced to flee from their torch wielding neighbours. She warned him of the danger of being close to her. He didn't care. From that love came Aemilia.

The only curse of the family that comes from their magic is one that was brought on by Aemilia's great great grandmother. Though they grow at a normal rate, their bodies always stop in their late twenties or early thirties and they remain frozen in appearance for the rest of their abnormally long lifespans. She brought on the curse from a spell she was trying for her own vanity.

As much as it didn't seem like much of a curse when first explained to Aemilia she soon learned where the "cursed" part came in. Her father aged well into his 80's was outlived by her own great grandmother who never told how old she was. His passing broke her mother's heart, who didn't look a day past 30 and would always shirk off the odd looks from strangers when she would dote on him in public.

Aemilia herself soon found a disdain for the curse herself when it interfered with her leading a normal life. She wanted so badly to go to a normal high school like any other teenager but she was shipped off to Robicheaux where she stayed through 5 different Supremes, the last being Cordelia. She had no use in returning to her parents home, so there she stayed.

She had taught countless numbers of witches and at times could out do her own Supremes, but she herself never became a supreme. She was somewhat of an anomaly among her leaders and peers. Feared and revered among many in the community, witches and warlocks alike.

Somewhere between a clairvoyant and having the power of telepathy, she was a forced to be reckoned with. And a reckoning she would receive. She was hesitant about Cordelia's plan but she went along with it anyways, putting her faith fully into her powers and her friend.

She could see Michael and what he was planning. The end. There were plenty of thoughts of his that she couldn't see but she could skim the ones that were closest to the surface. She finally agreed to Cordelia's plan of being hidden at one of the outposts to lay in wait for Michael Langdon.

What a reckless, young idiot she would think to herself every time she would tap into his thoughts. He may be the most powerful being on the planet but she saw the naivety that was inside of him, the unsureness. She didn't think he could actually pull off the end, but to her surprise he did.

The sirens began going off one afternoon when she was at the house she purchased after all of the other witches at Robicheaux were killed by Michael and his robot Mead's hail of gunfire. Sure enough, two large men wearing only black came barging into her home and drug her out to a van without uttering a single word to her about where she was going. Cordelia's plan was working.

7 miserable months later and she was still stuck at the outpost, biding her time until Michael Langdon would show up. The end of the world didn't phase her. She knew she lost her mom in the end but they were never close to begin with. As cold as it may seem she was always closer with her father, he was her heart and soul. That part of her died when he did. Her mother was vain and seemed to always hold a disdain for her that she never understood. Her father's love was what planted the seed of goodness that still lingered inside of her.

She was forced to wear purple at this outpost per the Head mistress Venable's orders. Purple was not her color. Black was her color. Before landing here her wardrobe was made up of nothing but black pieces, her black Louboutin pumps with red bottoms were her favorite. She missed the emenaties that were always at her fingertips before the blast.

Killing Michael Langdon was the only thought that helped her deal with all of the purple and the other spoiled, bitchy people that got into the Outpost. She would have her chance sooner than she thought. After waiting for 7 long months the warning came over the speakers for a security breach.

She smirked to herself because she knew what it meant, she saw it coming the day before. While everyone else was in a panic and talking amongst themselves about what it could possibly be going on she sat by calm and collected. She slowly tapped her fingers on the table she was sitting behind, watching the chaos and gossip around her.

They were finally all called to the sitting room with the fireplace after dinner where they all impatiently waited, still murmering amongst each other about what was going on. Aemilia stood coolly in the background watching and waiting when Michael Langdon sauntered into the room.

His eyes passed over everyone, instilling a fear they had never felt before. When they finally landed on Aemilia they hesitated, but only for a millisecond. She was the only one that noticed. She tried to dive into his head but there was a wall. He moved across the room to where Venable stood and stared at her until she finally moved and he took her place.

"My name is Langdon, and I represent the cooperative."

Aemilia sat through the rest of his speech trying not to roll her eyes. His voice was like raking fingernails across a chalkboard to her ears. She couldn't wait to end him.

He finally concluded his speech about how he would be making selections to go to the "Sanctuary" and the bleach blonde prima donna Gallant jumped at the chance to go first. No doubt falling prey to the intoxication of Langdon's appearance as it seemed all of the others were. Aemilia was already aware of his appearance beforehand and couldn't have possibly cared less.

She had to stifle a gag every time the spoiled heiress Coco talked about his ass or what she would do to him. Coco and Gallant were the only two that did this while the others were more worried about where they would end up. Aemilia had bigger concerns.

She tried to tap into his head when they made eye contact but whatever was blocking her seemed impossible to overcome. She knew he was the Antichrist in the flesh but it still bewildered her. She huffed her way down the hall picking up her overly puffy ballgown out of the way of her feet.

Suddenly someone grabbed her wrist, spinning her on her heels.

"I hope to see you in my office tomorrow, Mrs. Price." Langdon eyed her, lifting her hand to his mouth and gently placing a kiss on it.

"As you wish, Mr. Langdon." She curtsied, holding his gaze.

He released her hand and watched her move down the hall. She could feel his eyes on her until she shut her door behind her. She could have rolled her eyes into another universe at him kissing her hand. She wasn't sure whether he knew what she was or not but regardless she was put here to play his game and destroy him.

And play the game she shall.


	3. Chapter 2; What are you?

The next afternoon contained nothing short of radio silence from Michael to Aemilia. Almost every other citizen of the Outpost came and went from his office. He noticed there was something different about her when he saw her standing among the others in the sitting room, but he had to be sure. 

When he grabbed her wrist in the hallway he could feel something dark humming through her flesh and into his fingertips. What she was he couldn't be sure, he couldn't read her thoughts like he could every other pathetic person left of the Apocalypse. That's why he followed her, his curiosity got the best of him. 

He assumed the veil that blocked him from her thoughts would drop when he touched her skin. It only left him more confused. Even when he touched her flesh with his lips he saw total darkness. The way she looked at him told him that she knew what he was doing. 

But what was she?

His mind wandered while listening to the confessions of the meager people that sat in the chair across his desk. He could easily sense the lust that soaked the minds of a few, he felt it the very first time he walked amongst them. His appearance was designed to draw this exact reaction from anyone he crossed. He used this human weakness against them any chance he got. 

He never personally engaged in any sort of relations but he would lure people into his trap and manipulate them until they broke. That was his game. Breaking people until they had no other choice but to bow and follow. 

He had millions upon millions of followers up until the end. A large percentage of them ready and willing to help make the Apocalypse happen. He had enough of humanity at that point however. Enough of the rejections, enough of the disappointments. 

He started out a young boy, unsure of himself in every aspect when Meade took him in. Insecure and childlike. He needed guidance and he was guided over the edge and into oblivion. As the bombs went off he felt complete. The darkest piece of himself simply fell into place and he reveled in it. The witches were all dead and what was left of humanity was in his grasp. He lead the endtimes as he was born to do. 

So who was this person that was allowed into his Outpost. Her file was vague and nothing was unusual. Daughter of a vet and a teacher, was in nursing school. Completely mundane yet she was the only one in the entire Outpost that didn't cower in his midst. Even the head strong Venable was submissive in his presence. 

The day was over when he decided he was prepared enough and sent for Aemilia. A rap on the door suddenly alerted him to her presence and he looked up towards the door way. Aemilia walked in and shut the door with a thud behind her. She sauntered across the room and took her place in the chair across his desk. They stared at each other silently for a few moments before Michael finally spoke.

"Ms. Price. I should be forthcoming about the way I run the interviews. The questions I ask and the way you answer is the deciding factor of whether you get into the sanctuary or not. If you lie, I will know." 

His emphasis on the word lie didn't go unmissed by Aemilia. Her eyebrow raised but her dark eyes only continued to bore into his. She nodded her head. He still couldn't read her thoughts, even with their close proximity and their eye contact unbreaking. 

"Who are you, Ms. Price?" Michael asked, circling around the desk to sit on the edge in front of her. 

"I don't understand the question, Mr. Langdon." She responded, still mainting her air of confidence. She crossed her legs and watched his eyes flicker towards the movement, but only for a second. 

"Who were you to the world when the world was whole?" He reworded his question, crossing his arms over each other. 

"Surely everything is that file right there. What more could I tell you?" She countered, still unwavering. 

Michael stood from the desk and put his hands on each arm of the chair, leaning closer to her face. He could feel her breath on his face he was close. "I believe I'm the one asking the questions, Mrs. Price."

Aemilia inhaled. He could only sense the annoyance by the look that spread across her face. "I was a nursing student. I lived in upstate New York to be closer to my parents. I didn't have any pets or significant other. I don't know what else to tell you about my life, Mr. Langdon."

Michael, still blocked from her thoughts couldn't tell if she was lying or not. This infuriated him. He took her face in one of his hands and lifted her chin to face him completely. 

"I will find out what you are, Ms. Price. It would be better if you told me the truth now as opposed to when I find out on my own." His voice grew darker, losing its even flow. 

She glanced from one of his eyes to the other, his warm hand still holding her face. "I'm being completely honest with you. I don't know what answer you're looking for, Mr. Langdon."

Her air of confidence only confused him more. If she weren't lying then what was he feeling. He felt the hum every time his skin touched hers. Her pupils were dilated and the flames from the fireplace in the background danced around in the darkness of her eyes. He let go of her face and walked back to his chair on the other side of the desk. He sat and only stared at her. 

"Is there any other questions, Mr. Langdon?" She taunted, recrossing her legs under her dress.

Michael's nostrils were flared and his jaw was clenched. There was no hiding his annoyance. He would figure out what she was by any means, but he wanted this game to continue all at once. He hadn't felt this challenged in a while, if ever. People were typically so predictable. 

"That should be it for today. You can go." He finally answered after a few moments.

Aemilia stood from her chair, straightened her dress and walked towards the door. He watched her hesitate when he called after her using her first name. 

"Aemilia, I'll need you back in my office tomorrow. Preferably around the same time. Also, You may call me Michael." 

She turned her head to face him and simply nodded before closing the door behind her.

Michael sat at his desk in a trance for an unknown amount of time. The game as exciting as it was also left him with too many unanswered questions. Was she even a human? 

He finally pulled himself from the trance and returned to the other files. Though, he still somehow couldn't shake her from his thoughts. The lack of control annoyed him. He thought about the sensations that came from her flesh when he touched her. 

"I will know what you are, Aemilia." He muttered aloud into the quiet room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Antichrist is annoyed, but things will be heating up within the next few chapters!


	4. Chapter 3; A Man Such as Yourself.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Let the infernal sparks fly."

Unbeknownst to Michael, while he was thinking about Aemilia at his desk she was sitting crossed legged on her bed, her eyes squeezed shut and trying to find her way around the veil in his head. She finally began to break through but it was only a vague connection. The candles lit around her room flickered. She faintly saw that he was thinking about her, mostly her lips. A grin apread across her mouth because she knew she was winning.

The connection was still hazy so they were more feelings of strong emotion than any constructive thoughts. Darkness, death, loneliness, and ... sadness strewn about. The last one pulled her from her trance. She remained in the same position on her bed but she contemplated the two emotions that she felt the strongest inside of his head. She summed it up to the human part of him and a creeping feeling of pity sank in her stomach. She quickly shrugged it off.

The last thing the Antichrist needs is pity. She wiped her sweating palms on her dress and slipped out of her room to join the others for dinner. She didn't speak to them much but she was still badgered with questions about her interview with Michael when she sat down at the table. They were whispering but she could still feel the varied levels of panic and intrigue that came from each one of them.

She dodged most questions and said she wasn't sure how it went. She didn't want to give anything away about the game that was going on between the two of them. Her end goal was ultimately killing Michael but she couldn't pass up a power struggle with an insecure man. He tried to put on airs of absolute confidence and sureness at all times, but she saw him for what he truly was. Just a scared boy that was saddled with being the Diabolous of the mortal world. 

There were many things that Aemilia was but one of them wasn't insecure. It wasn't Michael's appearance that made him insecure, he was overly sure of himself in that aspect. It was the years of abandonment and mistreatment at the hands of others. 

She and Michael were playing the same game, but she knew enough about him now to get under his skin. She considered her next course of action remembering him asking her back to his office the next day. 

She finally dozed off and was pulled from her sleep by a series of knocks on her door. She rubbed her face to make sure she wasn't dreaming when the knocks started again. She crawled out of bed and pulled on her robe before answering the door. She opened the door to find Michael about to knock again. 

"Can I help you, Mr. Langdon?" Aemilia asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I told you, call me Michael, Ms. Price." Michael frowned, "May I come in?"

"I thought you wanted to wait until tomorrow to conclude our interview, Michael." Aemilia raised an eyebrow.

Michael leaned closer into the door way until his nose was almost pressed against hers, "I thought maybe we could get a head start."

"Come in, Langdon. Have a seat." Aemilia motioned to the chair near her fireplace, softly shutting the door behind him.

He didn't look at her as be walked past, she would dare say he was avoiding her eyes. Or maybe it was her lips. He circled around the chair and stared into the fire for an unnerving amount of time until she broke the silence.

"What was it that you wanted to talk about that couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Aemilia yawned, stifling  it with her hand. 

"I want you to tell me what you are." Michael finally turned to her. 

"I've told you before, it's all in the file on your desk." Aemilia stated coolly, not breaking her eyes away from his, "I know you have one on all of us."

Michael let out a condescending laugh, "We both know that is complete bullshit, Ms. Price."

"You're reaching, Langdon." Aemilia rolled her eyes, sitting back on her bed.

Michael stared at her, his cheeks turning red as his temper grew, "You know perfectly well what a man such as myself is capable of. I. Will. Find. Out."

Aemilia let out an unexpected laugh that froze Michael. She stood from her bed, letting her loosely tied robe come undone, exposing her ivory flesh to the thick air around them. She would never tire of this game. She was quite a bit shorter than Michael in stature but she would never let him intimidate her. His eyes wandered over her figure as she took her time crossing the room to where he stood. She stood toe to toe with him and she swore she could feel the heat radiating off of his skin. He looked down at her, pupils almost eclipsing the blue of his irises. She glanced down to his pants where his excitement was evident. She suddenly reached over and moved her fingers over to rub him through his pants, causing his eyes to go wide.

"A man such as yourself, Mr. Langdon?" She taunted, looking back up into his eyes.

He very suddenly lifted her from where she stood and after a few long strides threw her down onto her back on the bed. His breathing was nearing ragged and Aemilia could see the self control he was trying to sustain. He looked down at her doe eyes and her legs spread like he could literally rip her heart out of her chest at that very moment. She knew that wasn't the type of hunger he was feeling though. 

"What are you going to do?" Aemilia finally asked, voice laced with lust "Fuck me or eat me alive, Mr. Langdon?"

"Neither." Michael breathed, turning his face away from her and quickly crossing her room to the door "Now if you would excuse me. In my office, tomorrow, Ms. Price." 

Aemilia watched the Dark Prince practically hightail it out of her bedroom. She wasn't sure what to make of what had just transpired. She knew that his facade of being a sex God was an absolute falsity but she still wasn't expecting him to react the way that he had. 

The Antichrist displaying self control for lust?  
Let the Infernal sparks fly.

She still laid where he had tossed her onto the bed, contemplating her next move. He made himself paper thin with his clearly unwanted attraction to her. She sighed and scooted back under her blanket, closing her once again heavy eyes.

Her eyes sprang open. A vision forced it's way into her head. The source was crystal clear.

"I know that you were in my head, Aemilia."


	5. Chapter 4; Know Your Place.

Michael paced around his office, hand over his mouth. His breathing was still borderline ragged but he was slowly taking control over it. He couldn't manage to wrap his mind around what invisible force pulled him out of the chair that sat behind his desk and directly to her bedroom door. So much for seeming aloof. 

Never in his adult life had he went to a woman's bedroom, much less tossed her onto the bed. No one knew that and he would never admit it. Not that anyone would ever suspect. He had his sex God act down to a science. Humans were weak with lust and he knew how to play them against themselves with it. He however never had any personal desire for any such activities. 

He finally slumped back into the chair behind his desk, wiping the sweat that was beading on his forehead. He could feel her on him like his hands were still touching her flesh. He knew that she somehow had gotten into his head. If in fact she had, he had already sent her a message.

He felt things he had never felt before he had laid his eyes on her amongst the others, dark eyes following him like she had always known him. Her dark eyes, opposites of his own. For the first time Michael wanted to run away from something. He normally had ultimate power among others but she had some sort of hold on him, whether she realized it or not.

But she had taunted him. She was onto him now that he had made what he considered to be a fool out of himself. He had to face her again the next day, acting as if none of it had ever happened. Even though to his dread he wanted more than what had actually happened. He sat behind his desk with his skin on fire, anger bubbling in his stomach.

Everything was going according to his plans before this bullshit began to sidetrack him. He leaned back into his chair, and sighed, his leg bouncing from the anxiety that was replacing the anger in his gut. Thoughts of her body burning through his mind every odd second. He absent mindedly began to rub himself through his pants and laid his head back, biting his lower lip. He realized after a minute what he was doing and quickly stood up from his desk and pushed everything that sat on it onto the floor in a rage. 

What had become of him?

Human needs?

He shook his head and retreated to his bed, not worrying about the mess that he simply stepped over. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling, contemplating how much control he would have to exhibit alone in his office with her. His desires were carnal, but her face came into play. Beautiful, yet he couldn't help but absolutely despise her. She was unpredictable and smarter than the rest. Clearly she had powers of some sort, but how she got into one of his outposts without any knowledge of it set him on edge. What else could she be hiding?

He clenched his jaw and the flames in his fireplace roared matching the emotions he was feeling inside. His confidence was wavering. Sure he could slit her throat without anyone else in the Outpost caring. All they others would care about was one more open spot at the final Sanctuary being open. Killing her would be too easy though. Michael had a flare for the dramatics.

The clock struck five the next afternoon and Michael sent for Aemilia. He sat straight in his chair, trying to put on an air of absolute confidence. He heard her small knocks on the door and he swallowed. She sauntered across the room and gracefully sat in the chair across from him, her eyes never leaving his as usual. Boring into every dark fissure of his soul.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lan-, Ah, Michael." Aemilia corrected herself, quickly reminding him that last night was a reality.

Michael's lips quirked up at their edges. She was already toying with him. He inhaled deeply without responding and opened her folder that sat in front of him. His eyes wandered over the pages and he closed it back. He nonchalantly tossed it across the room, letting the pages fall everywhere. He saw the flash of surprise in her eyes and he smirked. 

"We're going to skip the pleasantries today, Aemilia." He let her name roll off of his tongue. He hated the way it tasted. He hated how he had to consciously ignore staring at her lips. "We're going to get right into things." He stated, folding his hands together onto the desk in front of him.

"What things are we getting into?" Aemilia tilted her head. 

"You will tell me what you are before you leave this office or you're not leaving at all." Michael threatened.

"Everything you need to know is on those." She motioned the the pages strewn about, "No need for thinly veiled threats, Langdon."

He raised his eyebrow at her wording. He stood up and slammed both of his hands on his desk, his eyes turning completely black and his face going an ashen shade of pale for a few moments. Aemilia jumped in her chair, clearly not expecting him to show her his true face. His eyes flashed back to their normal blue. Aemilia quickly stood from her chair, sending it flying backwards. He flicked his fingers and the chair stood itself back up and Aemilia found herself sitting in it, unable to move by an invisible force. He rounded the desk and stood in front of her. He slowly leaned closely to her face. 

"Know your place and hold your tongue." He snarled, watching her eyes go wide.

He released the hold he had on her and backed away, watching her slowly move her hands to her lap. She crossed one leg over the other and cocked an eyebrow. Michael's jaw slackened watching her completely relax again like nothing ever happened.

"You should realize by now that not much has an effect on me, Michael." She laughed bitterly, "Surely you could do better."

Michael's mouth nearly fell open. He rarely had to use his true appearance to intimidate anyone, they were already intimidated. She brushed it off like she had seen it every day. He narrowed his eyes at her and sat on his desk. She stood from her chair and leaned her face towards Michael's. His breath hitched at the unexpected closeness. She leaned to his ear and he could feel her warm breath on his neck. 

"Rip my heart out if that's what you desire, but you will never know." She whispered. 

They locked eyes when she leaned back to meet him with a defiant look written on her features. He stared at her for a few moments before suddenly wrapping his hand around the back of her neck and pulling her lips to his. They crashed together and Aemilia slipped her tongue into his mouth and it swirled around his. He had never done this with anyone before but he must have been born with the instincts for it embedded into him. He stood up only to lift her  by her thighs and place her on her butt onto the edge of his desk. She stared back at him, a knowing smirk quirking one side of her mouth. He stood back from her, trying to take back control of his cool demeanor. 

"Surely you had intentions placing me onto your desk, Mr. Langdon." She cooed. 

Michael placed both of his arms behind his back and took a few steps backwards. His eye contact with her never faltered. 

"Get out." He barely raised his voice, slightly tilting his head.

She nodded. Aemilia hopped off of his desk, giving him a wicked smile before quietly exiting his office. He didn't understand why her compliance caused him to grit his teeth. Every time he expected her to tell him to shove it, she simply complied. It was like she knew exactly what would get under his skin. He would have rather she fought him. He would rather be buried in her on his desk, feeling her skin on his and her breath on his neck again. He wanted her. The purely animalistic side of him was totally and completely mesmerized by her. 

He got into the shower to quell the heat rising off his skin with cool water. He finally gave in and tried gripping himself for relief but his frustration only grew. He laid down in bed, breathing heavy and tried closing his eyes. He saw flashes of her even then. He felt like a man possessed, not that it was possible. 

He managed to relax and quickly fell into a deep sleep. She came to him in a dream that night, nothing on but that same wicked smile. He twitched in his sleep, and bit his lip. He was on the verge of a release in his sleeping state when he caught himself and his eyes sprang open.

The rage continued to boil in Michael's stomach. He climbed out of his bed, not bothering to put a shirt on and quietly made his way through the hall to her room. He didn't bother to knock and swung her door open. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks and he actually went slack jawed.

"Can I help you, Mr. Langdon?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are coming to a head between the two enemies. Things will definitely heat up in the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 5; I'm Not Done With You.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another heated moment with Michael and Venable takes a few steps out of line.

Aemilia knew what she was doing when she planted herself into his dreams. She felt the urgency every time Michael's hands touched her. She even began to feel herself unravel when he dropped her onto his desk, but she quickly regained her wits. 

His head was a frazzled mess that she could barely ever decipher. She figured out that he was at his most vulnerable when he was asleep so she used her powers to her advantage. She would torture him until he was weak and begging. To have the Antichrist at her feet groveling was a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all. 

Aemilia did like a challenge, but Michael was challenging her willpower as well. She however refused to let him know it, continuing her toying with him. She laid on her bed and tried to push the thought of his hands on her hips out of her mind. She thought seducing him would be hard in the conpletely ridiculous required purple bustle dresses Venable made the women wear. Her figure was well hidden under the skirt but Michael managed to see right through it.

She was doing her best to maintain the control she always had over her own body but she was lonely. She hadn't laid with someone since months before the blasts went off and the world ended. She tried to control her breathing and catch her head but her hand slowly made it's way under her oversized skirt and into the unnattactive undergarments that she was forced to wear. She bit back a moan when she heard her door suddenly swing opem. She jumped at the noise but quickly regained her sense when she saw Michael in her doorway. He was red faced, his golden curls sticking to his neck with sweat and his breathing ragged. 

"Can I help you, Mr. Langdon?" Aemilia smirked.

He only stared. The light from a mixture of the flames in her fireplace and the candles lit all around danced on her fair skin and her intense stair never left his. Their eyes were locked and stayed that way as Michael slowly walked towards her bed. She broke eye contact and watched the muscles in his stomach ripple under his skin as he leaned against her bedpost. His eyes went to where her hand was slowly moving under her skirt. He swallowed, moving his eyes back up to hers where she could see how dilated his pupils were. 

He was a dangerous man, but he had no idea what she was capable of. Powers of magick or seduction alike. She had brought the strongest men to their knees in her day and she never met a man that couldn't be broken down by her charm and appearance. A few of them even went as far as to ask her hand to which she declined with no hesitation. Michael was making her weak and she only loathed him more for it.

Michael slowly sat on her bed and she could tell by the tightness in his pajama pants that he was holding on by a thread. For a man as strong as he, how weak he was for coming to her room in his state. His lack of self control with her spoke magnitudes without words. 

Aemilia slowly pulled up her skirt and watches his eyes follow, glancing up and down at her exposed garter and stockings, slowly up to her panties as soon as they were in sight. Michael exhaled loudly and his hand went to the tight spot in his pants, gripping and rubbing himself slowly. He bit his lip and watched eagerly as her finger pushed her panties to the side. He groaned outloud at the sight of her and inhaled deeply, squeezing his eyes shut. 

Aemilia could see his chest turning red and his breathing quicken from being so utterly enraptured with the sight of her. She smirked and slowly moved her finger towards her entrance, rubbing in slow circles. The noise from her arousal was obscene and Michael let out a groan, biting his lip to try and stifle the others that threatened to escape his throat. He leaned back against the footboard of her bed and pulled himself from his pants. 

Aemilia hated to admit how impressed with him she was but she had a feeling her facial expression gave her away because when she looked back up at him he had a smirk on his lips. She rolled her eyes and her finger moved back up to her small bundle of nerves. She watched his hand firmly grip himself and his eyes momentarily rolled back in his head. Aemilia was starting to become close from the sight of him alone and tried to reign herself back in, moving her hand up her torso to where her chest was bound under her dress. 

He eyed her hands as they slowly freed her tits from their confines. The shock was obvious in his eyes when they landed on the delicate metal that pierced each nipple. He had never regarded the female form in any particular way until his eyes raked over her exposed form for the first time. His eyes glazed over and he felt himself near his end as his hand moved in a faster pace. 

Aemilia could see in his expression that he wasn't far off but he sat up quickly and replaced himself back into his pants. He quickly moved from her bed and stood to walk away, not looking back as he shut her door behind him. 

Aemilia sat up in shock, not sure what to make of him nearly running out of her bedroom again. She laid back on her pillows and a laugh escaped her lips. He was breaking easier than she had expected but he was still maintaining a thread of self control, but not for long. He was coming unraveled and Aemilia basked in it. 

The next few days contained Michael avoiding eye contact with her at all times, even going as far as leaving any room suddenly as soon as she stepped foot into it. She always managed to stifle her giggles when the others would shoot her suspicious glances. She didn't care what they thought, but one person did.

"Mrs. Aemilia," Venable sneered, "I'd like to have a private word with you."

"Of course, Mrs. Venable." Aemilia curtsied, watching Venable scowl at her sarcastic sign of respect.

Aemilia followed her into the hallway where two large people in dark clothes grabbed her by each an arm and drug her down the hallways into a room she had never noticed. Aemilia struggled but they managed to lock up each of her wrists to chains that reached the ceiling. She cursed and spat but they didn't budge.

Aemilia hissed at the pain coming from her confined wrists, "What is the meaning of this, Venable?"

"I believe you know precisely the meaning of this," Venable stated calmly, anger clear on her face, "Sleeping with the head of the cooperative to secure a spot at the sanctuary. You know the rules, Aemilia and you blatantly disregarded them. No copulating at this outpost."

"I didn't-," Aemilia managed out before she was met with a sharp pain to her thigh. 

Venable had broken out a riding crop that sat in a cabinet near her desk. She struck Aemilia on her thighs and arms repeatedly, pulling a wimper from Aemilia. She knew that she could easily over power Venable but if Cordelia's plan was to work she had to stay hidden. She grew angrier with each painful strike and it took all she had to contain it from manifesting itself as something potentially dangerous. Tears welled up in her eyes and she could feel them coating her cheeks and neck, unable to wipe them. 

"Did you think that no one would talk?," Venable seethed, striking Aemilia again, "You have no right to break my rules."

Aemilia knew her time was running out. Venable would surely have her executed like the couple of others she had before her. She toyed with the idea of retaliation before it got that far but before she could make a decision she heard the door to the room swing open and hit the wall behind it. She strained to turn her neck to see what the commotion was and her eyes were immediately met with Michael's. He was clearly furious, which thoroughly confused her given the tension between them. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Michael calmly questioned Venable.

"I'm punishing her," Venable seethed, "and you know exactly why, Mr. Langdon. She broke my rules. Whether you are head of the cooperative or not, no copulation in this Outpost."

Michael suddenly laughed loudly, causing shocked faces on both Venable and Aemilia. 

"If you would come to me instead of listening to whispers from the pathetic citizens of this outpost I would have told you it's not true, Venable." Michael's eyes bore into Venable's, "I have no interest in copulation with any of these creatures."

Venable's jaw went slack and she lowered her riding crop that was prepared to strike again. Aemilia's eyes met with Michael's for only a second but she could tell that was partly a lie from the look they gave her.

"Let her go this instant before I have you put up in those chains myself, Venable." Michael raised an eyebrow, the harsh tone in his voice causing Venable to immediately have the two large men to release Aemilia from her chains. 

Venable quickly left the room in a huff, tailed by the men. Aemilia couldn't tell if it was sympathy or what other emotion was written on Michael's face as he glanced over the bruises on her arms and the tears still staining her face. Whatever it was quickly left as his expression immediately went neutral and he turned on his heel to leave the room. Aemilia stood where she was let down from her bonds, trying to catch her breath.

Michael paused before fully exiting the door way. She heard him inhale deeply. He glanced over his shoulder at her for a moment before continuing to walk out.

"I'm not done with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come soon. This chapter had a bit more plot to it and there's more to come.


	7. Chapter 6; Vulnerable.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning; Sex.

Michael couldn't help but go to her that night. His body pulled him to her, it physically ached for her. She was quickly turning into a pest. He refused to let her see him in his throws of ecstasy just from seeing her nude. He avoided her as much as possible for the next week, going as far as leaving a room as soon her voice was in ear shot. Even her voice could elicite a physical reaction from him. He was losing control over his own body. 

He heard her cries that day. It brought a smile to his face for all she had been indirectly and directly doing to him, but after a while he couldn't take it anymore. Her cries became more pained. He set off down the hall in the direction of her muffled sobs and the cracking of a whip on flesh. 

He wasn't sure what laid beyond the door that he quietly pushed open. Venable was standing near a sobbing Aemilia, in position to strike with her riding crop again. The sight of a vulnerable Aemilia knocked the wind out of him momentarily. He wasn't quite sure why. It normally gave him pleasure to watch someone below him being tortured and punished, but that was exactly what caused him to pause. She wasn't weak. 

It was so different from the normal indifference that she sported. Tears were streaked from her cheeks down to her neck. Her arms and legs were covered in welps and bruises. He momentarily contemplating snapping Venable's neck. He felt the darker part of him rise out. His face was cracked and Ivory and his eyes two dark voids. It only flickered out of him but Aemilia saw it. Her eyes went wide when she saw him in the doorway before Venable even noticed. He pushed his rage back down to the pit of his stomach and replaced it with a neutral expression on his face. Venable would get what was coming to her sooner or later.

Aemilia was his and his alone to toy with.

He could see the uncertainty in her eyes after he suddenly commanded Venable to stand down and release her. He didn't want to show that he cared. He wasn't even sure if he did or if it was just him fighting for a toy. He said what he had to say after everyone else quickly left the room. He walked out with his hands behind his back, knuckles white from clutching each other. 

He didn't see her much for the next week. He assumed she was mostly keeping to herself after the incident. He was fighting himself every night not to return to her room and at least touch her skin, craving that familiar hum that always jolted through his finger tips. He enjoyed the darkness of her eyes every time they met his, smoldering and burning a hole through his already charred soul. 

A week and 3 days and he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't shake the feeling of needing to be near her, even if she pissed him off with her near constant taunting and back talk. She somehow managed to succesfully avoid him even though there were only so many places for her to hide in the Outpost. He cracked. He knocked on her room to receive no response. He finally slowly pushed the door open until he saw her sitting in her chair in front of the fireplace with her back to him. 

"Aemilia?" Michael nearly whispered, still not getting a response out of her.

He slowly walked around the chair and saw that she was sitting with her eyes cast onto the flames, her stare a million miles away. She finally looked up to him, her eyes reflecting the flames and swollen with a pink tinge around the rims. He glanced to the bruises that marked her arms and thighs and nearly winced outloud. He squatted down in front of her and ran his long fingers over the marks. The typical hum he felt from her skin was stronger than ever. He realized she wasn't weakened by Venable's beating, she was mearly stewing in her rage.

He didn't say anything and nor did she when their eyes remained locked. He placed one hand behind her neck and pulled her face to his. Her soft lips parted his, beckoning his tongue. He answered by slowly slipping his into her mouth, gently swirling it around hers. He felt his skin becoming hotter than ever and pulled away, her eyes searched his for a reason for his reluctance. 

He didn't give her an answer. He simply leaned back on one of his arms as if waiting for her to speak. She didn't. She simply lowered herself from her seat and began to crawl towards him. She straddled his lap and he swallowed, hoping she didn't notice the nerves that were coursing through him in waves. She pushed his curls away from his ear and whispered.

"Do you want to prove her right?" 

It didn't take him more than a few seconds to realize she was talking about Venable. He smirked but he we stuck inside of his head picturing himself ripping Venable's heart from her chest. Aemilia was the most excitement he had since he set off the nukes. Maybe even more he considered for a second before quickly whooshing away the thought. 

He wasn't put on earth to get himself caught up in a woman's panties, he was put where he was for a bigger purpose. The world ended and soon he would have complete domination. He had killed every witch that he could out of pure spite, but here was this creature straddling his lap that he couldn't place. He had yet to figure out a way of getting it out of her, short of what Venable had already done, and clearly she wasn't fragile. 

Aemilia slowly grinded her hips on Michael's lap and pulled an unexpected groan from his lips. He was getting weaker every day for this. Many times through out the past week he had locked himself away in his room, trying to stroke his urges for her out of himself, to no avail. 

He roughly flipped Aemilia from his lap onto her back, a squeak of surprise left her lips. Her lips. The lips he couldn't seem to stop his eyes from lingering on since the first time he saw her. The lips he craved to have on his and around him every fucking day. 

She quickly pulled her top off and his eyes lingered over her chest causing him to bite his lip until it nearly bled. He slowly caressed her from her around her bellybutton up the the middle of her chest, testing the waters. He could tell by the hunger that flashed in her eyes that he was doing all of the right things. He slowly rubbed his finger over one of her nipples, feeling the cold metal from her barbell on his fingertip. She let her head fall back and let out a soft whimper. 

His hand slowly made it's way back down to her skirt. He gently pulled it up, exposing her legs even more and her core to the air. He watched the goosebumps spread on her bruised thighs and she slowly spread them, arching her back. He could see the wet patch spreading through her panties and he carefully moved his hand up her thigh and to the dampness, eliciting a moan that caused him to throb uncontrollably.

His first time giving into the weakness of the flesh and it could have been over before it started. Her small hand reached up to grope him and she slowly began rubbing him in slow rhythm through his pants. He barely had any self control but he found himself being surprisingly gentle with her. He silently decided she had been through enough torture for one week. 

He had to keep his hand from shaking when he pushed her panties to the side and finally exposed her arousal for him to see. He slipped a finger through her slit and watched her pupils dilate until her eyes were nearly black. He slowly pushed one digit in and curled his finger back towards her wall, causing her to throw her head back in pleasure again. She bobbed her head back up and her hands immediately went to his belt. She unzipped his pants and he freed himself from his boxers, his throbbing worse than ever. Her hand went to him and immediately began stroking while he kept up a steady pace with his fingers. He squeezed his eyes shut at the feeling of himself being touched for the first time. He opened them to see her watching him intently, which caused his fingers to move faster. He wanted to make her forget. Forget the beating she had gotten because of him. Forget everything else besides him. Everything in the rotten and decaying world.

He realized he was successful in doing so when he felt her walls begin to tighten around his fingers. She gasped, her eyes squeezing shut and face twisting in pleasure. He pulled his fingers from her when she began to pulsate. 

"I want you inside of me, now." She breathed, her eyes never leaving his.

Michael found his eyes searching hers for what he should do next. He felt vulnerable in that moment letting his guard down to practically an enemy. Her hand moved to his face and he finally spit it out.

"I've never done this before." He whispered, his eyes not leaving hers.

Shock slowly spread across her face and her eyes flicked back and forth on his. He understood why. His entire persona was built around his sex God qualities, but it was mearly a mirage. A tool, even.

"How is that-" Aemilia didn't even manage to finish her question before Michael answered it.

"I was never interested enough to pursue it." He softly whispered.

Aemilia put her hand on his face and pulled his lips to hers. When they parted Michael lined himself up with her entrance and slowly began to push himself inside of her. A mixture of their moans softly echoed in her room. She had to stretch to fit him and he didn't think he would at first. He was gentle but his thrusts slowly became harder and harder until he finally flipped her over and pulled her ass to him by her hips. The speed of his thrusts slowly picked up until he wrapped her dark hair around his hand for leverage. He realized the harder he slammed into her the weaker her veil around her thoughts became. She was thinking only about the pleasure he was giving her until he could tell she was getting close to coming. The inside of her head turned a pure shade of white and he was nearing the same end. Her breathing began to hitch and she was so tight around him that he came right after she did, spilling himself inside of her. 

They both lay on their backs near each other trying to catch their breath. Michael felt Aemilia look over at him, but he only stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't known what to expect to feel during and after. During was the most vulnerable he had ever felt, yet he wanted more. He craved it. Afterwards he wanted nothing more than to pull her to him and feel her hands on his chest and finding their way through his curls.

It disgusted him. 

He stood and stared at Aemilia. She simply stared back, the intensity of it flickering between the two of them. She stared back at him knowing. He buckled his belt and quietly walked out of her room, shutting the door behind him. 

Michael immediately turned on his shower, running the water at the hottest temperature. He needed her off of his skin. Her scent lingered and it only twisted his stomach into knots. He never needed anything and he didn't want to start now. As soon as he sank himself inside of her his eyes rolled back into his head and he knew there was no turning back. He was in the clutches of his current enemy, and he wished to be nowhere else. He bowed his head under the water and the heat sent shivers up his spine. He couldn't tear his mind from the memory of her fingers tracing up his back and his body quickly responded. 

He leaned his head against the shower wall and knew he was completely fucked. He should just kill her and remove her from equation entirely. He didn't know what she was but he intended to find out. 

And then she would have to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, it happened. But things are about to get a lot more twisted.


	8. Chapter 7; Mind Games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting two chapters in one day due to how hectic my schedule is going to be the rest of the week. I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's day and thank y'all for reading. 🖤

Aemilia was still sitting on the floor after Michael shut her door. Her mind was reeling after the last look he had given her. She could taste the vulnerability on his lips while he was inside of her. She found it unbelievable at first that the Antichrist could possibly be a virgin, but she knew it to be true. 

She could feel him trying to close himself off from her afterwards and she swore she even saw a tear fall before he walked out. Part of him was still human. She rolled her eyes at the thought as she sank her aching body into her tub. Here she was, humanizing the one being she needed to destroy. 

She thought about using sex to her advantage considering his lack of experience. His eyes gave him away as touch starved the first time she laid a finger on him. Aemilia had a hard time pulling her thoughts away from his eyes. They said everything he would never say to her aloud the first time he pushed into her. She fought herself for wanting more from him.

She had many lovers over her lifetime but being with Michael was a "spiritual" experience of sorts. His thoughts seeped inside of her own when they were joined and his thoughts of wanting her to forget sent her over the edge. She had a way into his mind, however she considered the fact that hers were more than likely vulnerable to him as well.

The hot water was soothing to her bruised flesh. She was relaxed but she ached between her legs for more of Michael, sparking worry in her mind. She rubbed her temple and sunk lower into the water. She had never wanted a lover so quickly again. 

The next few days brought distance between her and Michael. She knew he was doing a second round of interviews with everyone from the gossip but he never sent for her. It was a week and a half later and Aemilia was laying in bed restless. She tossed and turned, trying to push him from her mind. He didn't cross it much during the day when she was preoccupied with reading but at night when she was alone her body ached. Ached for Michael, wanting him again and again. It pained her that this was happening. She never intended herself to feel this way and she normally had more self control, but it was too late to turn back now. She had to face facts though. She had to kill him eventually. That's why she was placed here in the first place. 

She shoved her duvet off of her and her feet hit the cold floor seconds after. She didn't bother with slippers or a robe. She cracked her door, peaking her head out to make sure no one else was in the halls. She softly closed her door behind her and padded down the hallway in the direction of Michael's office. She would check there first, knowing that was where he spent most of his time. She decided against knocking and slowly opened the door and walked inside. He was sitting behind the desk with his feet propped up on it, folder open and in front of his nose. His blue eyes flickered up and to Aemilia's so quickly and intensely as if he had been waiting for her that she was taken aback. She didn't let him see it. She simply returned the look, her back leaning against his door. Michael glanced back down to the folder that previously held his attention. 

"Can I help you, Ms. Price?" He asked nonchalantly, not glancing back up at her.

Aemilia wasn't shocked by his behavior, but she wasn't sure how to reply all the same. She bit her bottom lip and stared at him for a moment. He finally glanced back up at her, placing the file on his desk. He raised an eyebrow and bore his eyes into hers. She looked down at her feet and tried to think of an excuse to why she was there. She knew he was waiting for an answer to why she was darkening his doorstep. When she looked back up his features had slightly softened and he looked more confused than annoyed. 

"I don't know, Mr. Langdon." She finally replied. She stood up straight and turned to walk back out of the door. She heard Michael softly say "Wait" before she softly closed it behind her but she only kept walking. 

She tucked herself back into her bed and stared at the ceiling. She knew exactly why she had went to him, but his sudden indifference towards her more than put her off. She rolled her eyes and squeezed them shut, hoping to fall asleep faster. She did quicker than expected and her dreams twisted and changed through a jumble of subconscious mess until everything went black. It was clearer than the rest of her dreams that night and she soon realized she was actually aware that she was dreaming. The room was wrapped in darkness, if it was even a room, with the exception of a soft light that glowed above her. She could soon make out the soft silhouette of someone slowly approaching her through the darkness. Michael's golden curls were the first thing the light hit and quickly after she saw the same intense eyes that he locked hers with the night she let him inside of her. 

"You didn't answer my question honestly," Michael stated, his voice echoing in an other worldly way as he circled her until he was close behind her, "Aemilia."

It felt like he was physically there with her when his lips brushed against her ear and his hand went to her hip. He pulled her body back to his and she had to stifle a moan that threatened to slip past her lips. He was toying with her. She turned to face him, his hand slipping to her lower back. She quickly identified the intensity in his eyes as want. The look turned to vulnerability when a reply from her never came. He slipped his hand from her back and she stared through him. He opened his mouth to say something again, but she watched him decide against it and his lips pressed into a straight line.

She silently stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before she pushed whatever power he was holding over her dreams back. He slowly faded from view and she woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. She quickly regained control over her breathing and laid back in a huff. 

She never let a man win the games she played before the world ended, and she wouldn't start now.


	9. Chapter 8; Little Witch.

Michael's eyes sprang open and he inhaled deeply. He had longed for her to give into him again, even if it were only in a dream. He felt her presence coming to him as he sat behind his desk the night before. It took all he had to restrain himself from crossing the room and fucking her where she stood. She was powerful though, he just hadn't realized the extent of it until she was able to push him from her dreams like all it took was a wave of her hand. He had an inkling of what she was all along but today was the day he would confront her with it. No more games. She was a Witch and she was supposed to be dead. 

He sent for her mid afternoon and inhaled sharply when he felt her presence near. He heard the soft knock on the door, and watched her cross the room and sit in the chair across from him. Regardless of what she was it was hard for him to control his breathing around her since that night. He was torn between the desires to be inside of her and to completely incinerate her soul where she sat.

"You wanted to see me?" Aemilia spoke up, eyeing him carefully.

"Yes, Ms. Price," Michael answered, crossing his hands, "What do you believe I should do with you?"

"That's not my decision, Mr. Langdon." Aemilia replied, one side of her lips quirking into a smirk.

Michael walked around his desk and leaned back onto it in front of her. He looked down at her and let a small laugh escape his lips. She stared up at him in confusion. He leaned his face close to hers and asked, "How did you sleep last night after your excursion, Ms. Price?" 

Aemilia's eyes narrowed. "Like an angel." She grinned mischeviously. 

He picked up the double meaning and he realized that she knew what he was. He assumed she thought him to be a powerful Warlock at the most until that moment. She saw him for what he was. He couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that had taken over him in recent days and without words swiftly lifted her from her seat, slamming her ass onto his desk.

A look of confusion crossed Aemilia's face but his lips on hers quickly erased it. His hands hooked around the bottom of her thighs, simultaneously spreading her legs and pulling her ass to the end of the desk. His long fingers found their way from her thighs to the small of her back where he gripped while his lips were exploring hers. He pulled a moan from her mouth into his when he quickly pushed her panties to the side and slowly sunk his finger into her dampness and back up to her clit. He rubbed small circles around it and had to stifle a moan when her hand reached for him through his pants. 

"I can't wait any longer." Michael breathed, connecting his lips back to hers. He fiddled with his belt until he was finally able to free himself. Her hand immediately went to him. The familiar throb returned and he let his head fall back, his jaw finally loosening until his mouth fell open. She stroked the curve of him and watched his face contort until he let out a string of moans and she would dare say, whimpers. His eyes cracked open and fell down towards Aemilia. She could feel heat of his skin with her fingers but the intensity of his eyes staring into hers quickly made it hard for her to have any intelligent thoughts. He bit his lip and rubbed his thumb on the nape of her neck sending goosebumps down her spine. She felt a pulling in her stomach and lined him up with her entrance. Michael gently pushed his hips forward, wrapping an arm around her back to pull her closer, and leaned his head on her shoulder. 

Aemilia tangled her hands into his curls, resisting the urge to kiss his forehead. She was trying her hardest to keep the amount of affection minimal, knowing what he was. Michael apparently had other ideas because he suddenly pulled her face close to his, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip while he was working up to slow but hard thrusts. Aemilia's vision suddenly started to turn into the familiar blinding white. Michael stared at her from behind the curls that fell into face, his eyes widening. He moved his hand behind her neck and it sent her over the edge, gasping and laying flat onto the desk while Michael gripped her hips and continued thrusting. He wasn't far behind her and collapsed onto her chest when he reached his end. 

"I know what you are," Michael stated calmly, lifting his eyes to her while he re buttoned his pants, "I knew it but it's only been confirmed. I want to know who you are and how you survived, Witch." 

Aemilia was already on her feet by the time he grabbed her throat and squeezed. His eyes angrily darted back and forth over hers. She couldn't breathe, much less answer him. He finally released her throat, backing away from her in disgust.

"As if your cockiness wouldn't have been a give away. Common trait of your kind, however, never underestimate me. Your thoughts were easier to penetrate than you are." His words were laced with malice, "I saw everything while you were busy coming around my cock, little Witch." 

He could see Aemilia was in shock from his words but her face quickly turned to anger. 

"I thought you were supposed to be the Antichrist, not an insecure, heretic's wet dream." Aemilia spat, never breaking her eyes away from his. 

He could have slit her throat right where she stood for her insolence, but an invisible force that had been pulling him in different directions since he first arrived at the Outpost kept him from the satisfaction. They angrily stared each other down, the rage in the room was palpable. Each waited for the other to make a move until Michael finally broke the silence.

"Get the fuck out of my sight, Aemilia, " He seethed, "Now."

He watched Aemilia hesitate, still in a rage of her own. She quickly lifted her skirt from her feet, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her. He sat down in the chair behind his desk, not sure why he couldn't have just fucking ended her then and there. She was dangerous. A lot more dangerous than he could have anticipated. She had a hold on him and if he couldn't kill her their was only one thing he could do. 

He gathered what little earthly possessions he needed and orchestrated a carriage to the sanctuary with no announcement of his impending departure. Overnight he was gone from the Outpost and away from the Witch, leaving every one at the Outpost reeling. 

However, to his disgust, his mind never strayed far from thoughts of her no matter how far the distance. 

The little Witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the two chapters I posted today. I can't wait for y'all to see what I have coming up, lovelies!


	10. Valentine's Interlude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus smutty+self indulgent chapter I managed to conjure up for Valentine's day before the plot picks back up. Enjoy, sweethearts!

Michael was bewitched, for lack of better words. Night after night in the Sanctuary he dreamt of her. Sometimes it was their first time in the Outpost. Other times they were somewhere Pre Apocalypse. A majority of the time he would find her in a white room, sunlight streaming in from tall windows, causing her ivory skin to glow. She would provoke him with her soft lips and the blazing intensity in her dark eyes. 

He swore that he could feel her soft skin on his fingertips. The familiar warmth of her felt all too real everytime he dreamt of her. His fingers would fly to the back of her head, crashing her lips to his. He figured he would make the best of it even though he knew he should drown the life out of her if ever had the chance again. He felt like he himself was drowning. 

He longed to feel her hands on his body. The way they held onto his shoulders every time he thrusted into her. When her fingers would slowly make their way down his spine, sending goosebumps across his sweltering skin. How they tangled in his curls when his tongue would find It's way around hers. 

Never had Michael thought twice about sex or anyone in any physical manner. He had accomplished everything he was born to do and had the end of the world in the palm of his hand, but she was ruining his concentration. He had designed some of the most intricate rooms of torment in hell. What he was going through was the absolute worst torture he could imagine. Not being able to be inside of her was driving him to his absolute edge.

He dreamt of it every night. Her taking him bent over his desk at the Outpost, her hair wrapped around his hand, and pulling her neck back. Her underneath him in the white room, being able to see every detail of her face when it contorted in ecstasy. Her riding him in front of the fireplace in his room, being able to see himself slide in and out of her while her bottom lip is between her teeth. She looked down at him and her dark eyes looked like two glowing embers because of the flames dancing inside of them. He called out her name in a hoarse voice when he felt himself about to come. Just as he was starting to throb she would vanish. The dream ending just like every other dream.

He would wake up out of breath, sweat beading on his chest and neck. He would already be gripping himself through his boxers and would feel tears rolling down his cheeks out of frustration. The little Witch would be the death of him. 

He finally had enough of the pain she was inflicting on him. He went to sleep after weeks of torture and he knew what he needed to do. The room was dark with a faint glow around him, but he could see her in the distance. She was standing under a beam of light and looked surprised when she saw him walking towards her out of the darkness. Michael smirked to himself and began to circle her. She tried to hide the fear on her face but he could see through her. 

"You look surprised that I would decide to pay you a little visit, Aemilia," Michael laughed, stopping in front of her and putting a hand on his chest, "Did you really think I would let you get away with torturing me?"

Aemilia only stared back, unable to get any of her words out. Michael's smile quickly turned into something more sinister. He had silenced her smartass mouth for the time being. The closer his face got to hers the more the look of desire grew in her eyes. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She inhaled sharply when his lips grazed her neck, down to her collarbone.

He smiled against her flesh. He loved hearing how worked up she got simply from his lips. His hands went down to them hem of her dark dress. He slowly pulled it up and his hand dipped into her panties. Aemilia's body threatened to go limp and Michael was holding up her weight as his finger dipped from her entrance to her clit. He rubbed slow, torturous circles. Aemilia pushed her face into the crook of his neck and licked up to his ear, causing Michael's eyes to roll back into his head. 

"I can't take it anymore, Aemilia," Michael breathed, Ripping her panties down around her ankles and swiftly bending her over, "I'm will fucking come. This time, inside of that little witch pussy." 

He quickly unbuttoned his pants and pulled himself out. He bent over to bury his face in her pussy, using her hips to hold her to his tongue and lips. His grip tightened leaving a bruise on one of her hips and he lined himself up to her entrance. He pushed into her hungrily and his pace was urgent from the get go. Even if it was a dream she would be sore tomorrow. 

He could feel Aemilia getting close to her end when she tightened around him. He felt himself begin to throb and he knew he was finally about to come. His last few thrusts were hard and calculated. He nearly screamed her name when he finally got his release deep inside of her. He could see the disappointment in her face when he didn't let her come. He placed himself back in his pants and watched her quickly fix her underwear and dress.

Payback was a cruel bitch. 

He smiled and gently pulled her face to his. He placed his lips on hers and moved them near her ear and gently whispered, "It hurts doesn't it, little Witch?"

He turned and walked back into the darkness, away from her. He glanced back once to see her watching him leave with a stony look on her face. He smirked to himself and continued into the darkness. It was the last time he dreamt of Aemilia for several months. 

He knew he had won that round and a wicked smile spread across his face.


	11. Chapter 10; Return.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of exchanged waiting shifts and a few hours to myself had me inspired enough to write a couple of more chapters. The actual plot is starting to move along nicely. I'm taking advantage of the creativity that's decided to pour out of me, and I hope y'all enjoy.

Several more months had passed and Michael had never returned or even sent for anyone to join him at the Sanctuary. The only thing they received was more supplies and rations to last them for another year or so. Aemilia was going absolutely stir crazy. 

As much as she hated him and hated to admit it, she missed him. At least when he was around she was thoroughly entertained. She never dared to enter his dreams again, taking the last time as a threat. She was disappointed when he never came to her again, but she tried to keep herself preoccupied. She spent her afternoons in the library reading everything she could get her hands on, even re reading books multiple times. 

Venable had never said a cross word or even glanced in her direction longer than need be since Michael had caught her abusing Aemilia. She had a distinct feeling that Venable came to actually fear him. This tickled her. She couldn't stand the woman. 

Aemilia was able to converse with certain others at the Outpost, with exception for the ones that spread the rumor that almost had her killed. It took all of the self control she had inside of her not to retaliate. They weren't worth her time however, she had bigger fish to fry. All she could do was continue to lay in wait for whenever (if) he decided to return. 

She finally learned to ignore the song that was repeteaded to the point of driving her to madness every day in the library. Until one day she was shuffling through a section of books she hadn't been through yet and the song suddenly changed. It was a soft rock song playing now, she recognized it immediately as a song her dear father loved. She paused to appreciate the change and a small smile crossed her lips. The first in what surely must have been weeks, if not months. 

She met with the others for nightly dinner in the dining room, which still consisted of the disgusting gelatinous little cubes. What she would give for a cheeseburger. She was still picking at it when the intruder alarms began to go off. Everyone at the table visibly tensed, especially Venable who sat at the head of the table. Aemilia however knew what it meant.

Aemilia watched her walk to the same men that helped drag her to the room the day she was beaten. They nervously whispered to Venable and she excused them. She retook her place at the head of the table and clinked a spoon against her crystal goblet to gain attention of the others.

"If you could all stop chattering long enough, I have an announcement." Venable's voice had an edge to it, "It seems that Langdon has returned."

Everyone went quiet. A few looked at each other nervously. Aemilia had overheard in the past how tense his interviews would become with the others. Not many thought they would get into the sanctuary, but none knew or cared how slim Aemilia's chances were. 

They were gathered into the same sitting room they were the first time Langdon showed up. Aemilia took a seat on a small, antique couch that faced the fireplace. Not that anyone could tell from her blank facial expression but her heart was pounding unnaturally fast in her chest. She hid her shaking hands in the skirt of her dress when she heard his footsteps approaching.

He walked into the room with the air of superiority he held around himself when he was around the others. His golden hair had grown to his shoulders in the months that passed, replacing his boyish curls. He held eye contact with her for seconds before completely dismissing her and eyeing the rest of the room. He moved to the front of everyone where he smirked at Venable and she moved to the side yet again, completely submissive. 

"I've returned to check the conditions of the Outpost, and this time some of you will be returning with me to the Sanctuary upon my departure." Michael sternly announced to the room, eyes raking over everyone. They paused on Aemilia when he put emphasis on "some of you".

She knew it was a thinly veiled threat and it took all she had not to roll her eyes. He pulled off shoulder length hair better than any other man could, but her attraction to him didn't remove the disdain for him that remained. She knew if it were up to him she would never leave the Outpost, with the exception of in a bodybag. 

"I'm going to be doing another round of interviews for anyone that wants to participate." Michael smirked, knowing how horribly everyone did the last time, "For those that don't want to participate, I explained the last time I was here what will happen to you if not chosen." 

Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably, remembering his speech about the Cyanide pills. Aemilia would kill him with her bare hands before she ever swallowed one of the wretched pills. She saw his face twitch and she realized he was more than likely listening to her thoughts. With a wave of his hand he excused everyone to leave the room. Aemilia made eye contact with him and their eyes were locked on each other as she exited the room. She quietly walked down the hallway to the library. She resumed digging through the books that had been untouched by her until she felt someone approaching her from behind. She knew it wouldn't take him long to find her. She looked over to see Michael smirking at her, his hands folded behind his back waiting for her to give him a smartass remark. She blankly stared back at him before she returned her eyes to one of the books. She couldn't understand why, but she almost felt hurt that he had never visited her again in the several months that had passed. He stood silently until she looked up at him again. His smirk had faded and the smug look on his face was replaced by one that she didn't recognize. He squatted down in front of her, pulling the book she had was reading from her hands. 

"I didn't take you for someone who liked to read, Ms. Price." He commented, looking over the copy of "A Farewell to Arms" she had dug out the previous day. 

His hand grazed hers when he returned the book to her, causing a flutter in her chest. She refused to meet her eyes with his again. "There's plenty you do not know about me, Mr. Langdon."

"I suppose not." He nearly whispered, standing and replacing his hands behind his back. 

There was a tenseness that hung thick in the air between the two. Michael turned his back to her and stared into the fire that crackled in front of him. She watched him. The feeling that there was something he wanted to say hovered, but it never came. He glanced back over at her and gently bowed before quitly leaving the room. His usual smugness nowhere in sight. 

Aemilia was perplexed. She gently closed the old book and carried it with her back to her room. Something felt different between them as compared to the first time he was at the Outpost. He held is facade well in front of the others but he almost looked worn when they were alone in the library. 

She kicked off her shoes near her door way, and quickly changed out of the uncomfortable purple monstrosity she was wearing into a white nightgown. She curled up into her chair in front of the fire and her thoughts went to Michael. She knew his comment about him not knowing she liked to read was supposed to have bite to it but it only came out as gentle and almost genuinely curious. She shook her head at her own thoughts. Michael were plenty of things. Cold, manipulative, but surely not gentle. She surely had been mistaken. She had grown so stir crazy in the underground Outpost that she even considered she hallucinated the entire encounter. She was quickly pulled from her thoughts of psychosis when there was a gentle rap on her heavy bedroom door. 

Before she could finish pulling on her robe it opened to reveal Michael standing in her doorway. The look in his normally ice blue eyes had turned to something different. Instead, she was met with a hunger she hadn't even seen when they first slept together. His chest rapidly moved up and down with his clearly heavy breathing. He pushed the door closed behind him.

"Can I help you, Mr. Langdon?" Aemilia raised an eyebrow, folding her arms in front of her.

"You can." He answered raggedly, crossing the room quickly to where she stood.

He pulled her body to his, quickly lifting her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and his lips met hers with a ferocity that had been unmatched by their past rendezvous. The kiss was so intense that they were exchanging breaths. He held the back of her neck with one hand and used the other to hold her up and pressed as close to his body as possible. He pulled his lips from hers and his eyes glanced back and forth from each of hers. She was sure she must have had a shocked expression on her face. She had kissed him like he was her lifeline, not the kind of kiss you would share with the person you were meant to assassinate. 

He carried her to her chair and sat her on his lap. She still had her arms wrapped around his neck. She could feel his pulse beating rapidly and he still looked at her like a man starving. 

He finally used his words and he spoke not like one would speak to an enemy, but to a long lost lover. "The reason I returned is not just for more interviews, Aemilia." He exhaled, "I know you don't trust me and for good reason, but I've discovered something."

"You're right, I don't." Aemilia retorted, climbing from his lap to stand, "What discovery could be so important that it forced you to return to this wasteland?" 

He stood to meet her and placed a hand on her face, "It's something I have to show you, I need you to trust me for a while." 

Aemilia was thrown by the sudden gentleness in his demeanor. It caused her to distrust him even more so than she had before. Her dark eyes scanned the his for what she should do. Her curiosity finally forced her into nodding. 

"Meet me in my room, after everyone else is asleep." Michael stroked her cheek with his thumb, his eyes never leaving hers. 

He removed his hand from her face and crossed the room and exited before she could even begin to think of something smartass to reply. Her wit had left her when she saw the seriousness in his face. 

What could possibly be so important to drag him back here? Full well knowing she wanted to kill him for the vengeance of her dessimated coven. She shook her head and sat back into the chair. 

If he were playing a game with her again, surely she would have to play along long enough to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	12. Chapter 11; A Thread of Destiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big part of the plot is about to take place. I hope y'all enjoy it!

_"My life used to be full of everything. Now if you aren't with me I haven't a thing in the world."- Ernest Hemmingway; A Farewell to Arms._

Michael spent month after month in his own personal hell. It had been nearly a year since he had felt what it was like to be inside of her. He thought he would feel vindicated by cutting himself off from her. Their last dreamt tryst had finally gotten his point across to her not to toy with him. 

Yet he lay awake in bed night after night, eyes staring at the ceiling, unfeeling in darkness or to the flickering of the flames dancing on the walls. Sometimes he would find his thoughts bringing him to her, limbs tangled and lips unparting. The hardness of him earth shatteringly painful, night after night. Tears would stream down his cheeks and he knew. He had to do something, his reaction to separating himself from her wasn't correct. He came to the Sanctuary to reconnect with the darkness that threatened to no longer linger inside of him. He was losing touch. He knew what he needed to do when he stripped off his clothes and kneeled in the circle of flickering candles. It had been too long since he had called on his father.

He cut both of his forearms vertically and let the blood flow onto the floor at his knees. 

"Ave Satanas." He chanted, voice growing darker with each passing second. 

He was immediately pushed into a vision. He was shoved onto his back and he quickly picked himself up on his elbows to see around him. He looked up to see Aemilia standing across from him. Her head was tilted down to him and her eyes burned into his. With his mouth still opened in awe he stood to cross the room to see if he could touch her. He felt a tightness on his hand and looked down to see a thin, red thread tethered to his left hand's ring finger. His eyes followed the thread to find its end tied into a knot around Aemilia's mirroring finger. 

Their eyes met again and his lips finally shut. He found himself hitting an invisible wall in the center of the room. She tilted her head to the side and he held his breath. He was trying to decipher the vision that he was still in when he remembered an old piece of supposed Mythology. The red thread of fate, tying two lovers that were absolutely destined to each other together. He shook his head. Mythology was bullshit, but it could be used as a simple metaphor in the vision. 

"Father, what does this mean?" He shouted, the walls echoing back his plead.

He was simply thrusted out of his vision, falling onto his back. He was in the middle of his circle of candles in his bedroom once again. Confusion took a hold of his brain and it stayed that way for the next few months. He hadn't attempted to contact his father again, for fear of more confusing visions. He still hadn't figured out the point of his last one in the slightest. It distracted him from his day to day tasks and didn't help his sleep in any way. His mind would come up with the same conclusion every time, but he knew it to be a falsity. He saw no way the universe decided to tie him to her. 

She had a smart mouth, the confidence of a dark goddess, and to make it very clear, he thought she was a Witch bitch. Oh, but her mouth. The thing he would do to feel her lips on his body. The more he pondered these thoughts, the more he realized they had more in common than not. Why wouldn't she be the one he's threaded to? 

But why was he threaded to anyone at all?

He was the Antichrist. Not a mortal destined for love. The more he lingered on that thought, the more he wondered of her own mortality. The deep vibrations he felt when he touched her flesh made more sense. He never felt it from any other person when he touched them. Satan knows he tried to touch others when he got back to the Sanctuary. Anything to forget about her. He would quickly lose interest, if he had any stirring inside of him at all. The thought of being inside of anyone else made him feel empty. Not a dark, Antichrist sort of empty, but one of being void of anything at all type of empty. 

He had to go to her. He had to show her. 

______________________________________

He waited in his bedroom for her late, after everyone else would surely be asleep. He finally heard his door creak open and softly shut behind him. He turned to see her watching him from across the room. She looked eerily like she had in the vision. Her dark hair was untied and she only had on her white nightgown. Her eyes glanced around the circle of candles he stood in and returned to his, narrowed. 

"A satanic ritual, Langdon?" She asked, cutting the crap.

"This won't be Satanic, Aemilia." He murmured, "I just want you to see what I've seen exactly as it was. I can't understand it on my own. You know the best way to see inside is when we are connected." 

He didn't mean to sound as vulnerable as he had, but it was too late. This was a vulnerable process. He watched her mouth fall open and reclose, her jaw tensing. Her eyes finally met his again. He noticed her mulling over what she should do in her head. He reached out a hand to her and however reluctant she was, she still took it in hers. He delicately helped her into the circle. He kept his eyes fixed on hers while he began to strip off every item of clothing he had on and neatly piled it outside of the circle. She bit the side of her bottom lip when she looked down to see him again after so long. He smirked, but it faded as soon as she started to slowly undress. He tried not to gawk at her naked form but he was betrayed by his own body and it was her turn to smirk. 

He slowly knelt down and her actions mirrored his. She winced when he cut the palms of each of his hands and blood started to pour from the cuts. To his surprise she reached her hand out for the knife and he hesitantly gave it to her. She immediately slit matching cuts into her palms. 

He watched her hungry eyes follow his as he crawled over to her. She grasped his dick in her hand when their lips touched and his head immediately fell back from the feeling of her touch again. He ran his fingers through her wetness and groaned against her neck from the feeling of her. She spread her legs for him and he found himself urgently pushing himself to inside of her. The more he thrusted, the more her eyes would roll back into her head. She finally sat up and pushed him onto his back. He watched her line herself up with him and slowly impale herself on his cock. 

Her hands reached for his and their matching cuts lined up when she threaded her fingers through his. He saw her eyes rolling back in her head and he knew she was in. She was seeing what he wanted her to see. He gripped her hips and moved her up and down rapidly on his cock. He wasn't sure how long he'd last that way, but hearing her moans was worth the embarrassment of finishing too soon. 

He started to feel her cunt squeezing around him and he felt the familiar tightening in his stomach. He fucked up into her with fast and hard thrusts. He simultaneously watched and felt her reach her edge. He came with only a few more hard thrusts after she milked him for all he had. 

She laid on top of him with him still inside of her, both completely spent. Suddenly Aemilia rolled off to the side and laid on her back. "I saw what I believe you wanted me to see. The red thread tethering us together?" She asked, looking over at him wide eyed.

"Yes." He whispered, eyes nervously glancing back and forth on hers, "What do you think of it?" 

She turned her eyes up to the ceiling and deeply inhaled, "Probably the same thing you are, Michael. How could we possibly be tied together as- as soul mates? I'm supposed to kill you." 

"And I considered killing you many times just for being a distraction." He breathed, "I could never bring myself to do even such a simple task." 

"Glad to know it would be a simple task," Aemilia exhaled into a laugh, "It's not impossible. It just seems very improbable. Why would we possibly be paired? Or why would you even have a soulmate?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. I wasn't even sure if that's what the vision meant." Michael sighed, "But, what I am sure of is what I've felt since I left you."

"And what is that?" Aemilia raised an eyebrow.

"Alone. Empty. Isolated." Michael stated, "Feelings and emotions I am familiar with and feel on a daily basis." 

He felt a tear slip out out of his right eye. The pulling on his eyebrows told him it wouldn't be the last. He turned his face to look at her. 

"I am dark beyond comprehension, Aemilia. I have destroyed the entire world simply because it was what I was designed and born to do." Michael's eyes met hers, "I have never felt pain and anguish as I have felt these past months. Even my fucking cock ached without you."

He could see the surprise in Aemilia's eyes. "What are you trying to say, Michael?" She softly asked.

He leaned over her until his nose was almost touching hers, his blue eyes lingered softly on hers and he nervously swallowed,

"That I, Michael Langdon, am ardently and unequivocally in love with you, Little Witch."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLOT TWIST.


	13. Chapter 12; Jealousy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More sex and plot twists lay ahead.

Aemilia didn't know what to think of the visions she saw. Or Michael's confession for that matter. She was stunned silent. Michael's eyes were pleading with her to say it back, but she simply couldn't. 

The whole and honest truth was that Aemilia had never been in love. She wasn't even sure if she had the capacity for it. She had never stayed with another long enough to allow herself to develop those types of emotions. Rebuffing the ideas of true love and fairytales, she was always only her own. Her poppa taught her that she should always be her number one. 

She looked into Michael's hopeful eyes and watched them desperately begin to dart over hers for a reply. His smile quickly faded and was replaced with his lips parting to say something. Aemilia quickly redressed and sat on the edge of the bed facing away from him. 

"Do you feel anything for me?" Michael finally broke the silence, his voice bordering pleading.

"I feel something." Aemilia sighed, " But I don't believe in love." 

"Oh." Michael's eyes fell to the floor.

It didn't go unnoticed by Aemilia when Michael began to avoid her again. For a completely different reason than the first time. So she was completely caught off guard when she was summoned to his office on a mundane quiet afternoon. She took a deep breath before softly knocking on his office door. She let herself in when there was no answer, she didn't need one. She kept her eyes averted from his when she approached the chair across from him and sat, crossing her legs. Their eyes finally met and neither wavered. Michael spoke very matter of factly when he explained that he thought her vindication of her fellow witches was utterly pointless due to the fact that the apocalypse already happened. He offered for her to be protected and to leave with him to the Sanctuary if she buried the hatchet then and there with him. 

Amelia sat quietly and pondered his words. As much as she hated to admit, he was right. What good could she possibly do in a post apocalypse world by killing the one person that could lead it. She chewed her lower lip nervously and finally brought her eyes up to his. Michael stared at her intensely, furrowing his brow when she didn't answer immediately.

"I am willing to put aside your lack of reciprocation for the feelings that I have and I'm offering you sanctuary for only your trust in return, Aemilia." Michael's eyes reached into Aemilia's, searching for a reason for her hesitation on the simple deal. 

Aemilia's eyes looked back into his nervously at the sound of her name from his lips. She gently nodded, "I agree to the deal, Langdon. You have my word." 

She saw a hurt look spread on his face at the use of his last name. He reached his hand out for her to shake it and she swore she felt something when she put her hand in his. It was only for a moment but it felt like transference of energy. She stared up at Michael trying to gauge if he felt the same thing, but if he had she couldn't tell by stoic look on his face.

She quickly turned to leave when he released her hand. She quickened her pace the closer she got to her room. She slammed her door behind her, not caring who heard. What would happen now? She had no reason to doubt his words, but what would become of her in the Sanctuary?

It didn't matter. She undressed and got into bed, not bothering with a nightgown. The fireplace was lit like every other night so she knew she wouldn't freeze. She rolled over onto her side with her back facing the door. She could feel his energy. It was always heavy, following him wherever he went, and it was coming closer. She didn't know how long she had been laying there staring at the wall but she didn't acknowledge when she heard her door slowly open and click back closed. She felt him ease his body into the bed near her. Suddenly his arm wrapped around her torso and pulled her body close to his. He buried his nose into her neck and inhaled deeply. 

Aemilia turned her head to meet his hooded eyes. They were heavy, dripping with lust and other emotions she couldn't identify. She was sure of what he wanted and her body answered. He tested the waters between the two of them and gently pressed his lips to hers. She parted hers, beckoning his tongue into her mouth. His hand gently went to her torso under the blanket and she saw the surprise in his eyes when he was met with her already nude flesh. 

His hand slipped lower. He groaned when he cupped her with his palm and was met with her sticky arousal. Aemilia's head pushed back into the pillow and she felt like she was going to bite through her lower lip. He slowly slipped one of his long digits into her cunt while his lips gently rubbed hers. His lips moved to the side of her neck, kissing their way down to her chest. He pulled one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked until she was sure she's be left with bruises. Her curved and worked his finger over the spongey spot inside of her until she felt her orgasm building. She felt herself tightening around his  finger before he suddenly removed it and brought it to his lips. He sucked off her juices and a string of soft groans left his throat. Aemilia whined, she was so close and the fucker knew it. 

He pulled the blanket down and his eyes raked over the curve of her hips and down to the thing he wanted the most in that moment. His eyes remained on hers when he started to strip off his button up shirt and his black pants made their way to the floor. The head of his erection peaked out of his boxers and rested against his stomach. It was dark pink and swollen, making Aemilia draw blood from her own lip. He smirked when he saw her looking at him and his boxers quickly met his pants on the floor. He crawled up the bed to her naked body and she held her breath, he never looked more beautiful than when he was wanting her. He lined himself up with her entrance and slowly pushed himself in, their soft moans echoing through her room. He slowly pulled himself out and gently pushed himself back in. His pace was slow, instead of the usual urgency that took control of him when he was inside of her. His eyes met hers and they were more intense than usual, even for him. 

He gently wrapped his hand around her neck and started to thrust harder. Aemilia's eyes rolled back into her head and she could barely form a coherent thought but she managed to moan out his name, "M-Michael... Oh my God.."

"Not even close, baby." Michael growled, nibbling on her neck.

Aemilia's orgasm quickly built again and snapped quicker than expected after the petname slipped from his lips. She tightened around him and she could tell by the way his breath was hitching that he wasn't far behind her. She felt him throbbing and he slammed himself into her cervix, releasing himself as deeply as he could inside of her.

Aemilia laid on her back out of breath and Michael slowly pulled herself from her and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled his boxers and the rest of his clothes back on quicker than usual and sat back down on the bed. His eyes avoided hers and she quickly noticed his change in behaviour. 

"We leave tomorrow night." He finally said aloud, breaking the silence that hung between them.

His eyes finally met Aemilia's and she nodded. His eyes slowly glanced back forth between hers before he abruptly stood and walked towards the door. He reached the knob but hesitated turning it. He turned back to Aemilia with a frown on his face. "I am in fact in love with you, little Witch. However, I would never force my love onto you. This will be the last time I pay a visit to your room in the middle of the night." 

He turned the knob and walked out, softly closing the door behind him. Aemilia was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to make it this easy for her. She couldn't deal with her own feelings, much less someone else's for her. At the same time however, she realized it stung. She felt like something was being ripped from her, but she pushed those strange emotions down as far as she could. 

She spent the next day packing what few possessions she had left to bring with her to the Sanctuary. She went dinner like every other night, the banter at the table as boring as ever. It became clear to her that no one knew about her and Michael's departure that night. She shrugged it off and trusted Michael had a reason behind it. Like complete outrage from the rest of citizens of the Outpost. She stayed silent and excused herself as soon as she was done with the disgusting cube. She wouldn't have bothered saying goodbye to anyone even if they knew she was leaving, not having formed any bonds with them. 

She returned to her room to find a black suit bag and a box next to it. Their was a slip of paper on top of the bag that she quickly unfolded.

"For you, Aemilia. I thought you should finally shed the purple. It looks hideous on you. -Michael." She couldn't help but snort at the note.

She hurriedly unzipped the bag and found a short, little black dress with cap sleeves. Behind it lay a matching black cape. She quickly flipped the lid off of the box and found a black pair of Louboutin pumps with their signature red bottoms. She could have squeeled if it weren't for the tugging she still felt in her chest. He had done something special for her, even if it was veiled by his smartass note.

She quickly shed the purple monstrosity and slipped on the black dress and cape. She pushed her feet into the heels and even though on the  petite side, she stood tall looking at her reflection in the mirror. She felt like herself again and did a small twirl watching her cape flow behind her in a circle. She heard a knocking on her door and sauntered over to answer it, expecting Michael to be on the other side. 

To her disappointment, it was one of the henchman dressed in black. He beckoned her to follow him and lifted her suitcase to carry with them. Her heels quietly echoed in the halls with each step to his office. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she wasn't sure why. Michael's eyes widened when she walked into the room, he clearly underestimated what power she held when she wore black. He quickly averted his eyes from her legs, where her dress stopped mid thigh. He wasn't quick enough for her not to notice however, a small smirk twisted up the side of her lips. 

"We are departing for the Sanctuary  shortly." Michael stated, avoiding her eyes. 

"I assumed." She practically purred back, she watched how heavy his breathing was and knew the amount of self control he was practicing. 

They left the Outpost while everyone slept quietly. He formed a force field with his magick to keep the radition at bay while they walked to the carriage that awaited them outside. Aemilia thought she would be more excited to leave the Outpost but the dark and ashy landscape around them quickly ruined her happiness. She frowned when she saw the two big, beautiful black horses that would be pulling to them to the Sanctuary, already knowing their fate upon their arrival. 

Aemilia and Michael sat in agonizing silence for the entire of the trip. She finally decided to pretend to sleep to make it less awkward. She wasn't sure how long she was asleep but she awoke to a sliver of sunlight coming through the window and the carriage suddenly coming to a halt. 

"We're here here." Michael remarked towards Aemilia. 

He used his magick for the forcefield again and they were nearly in the door when she heard two gunshots ring out behind them, causing her to immediately cringe. Michael frowned down at her reaction and led her through the hall to the Sanctuary. The next door opened up into a very large, stone room lit by actual lights instead of just candlelight. People buzzed about and their was a lot more of a population than the Outpost. A smile spread across Aemilia's face at her new home. She looked up to see a look of satisfaction on Michael's face. The Sanctuary was seemingly vast she noted as Michael led her down the halls to her new room. 

She almost gasped aloud when she walked in to see a large room with a fireplace and a sitting area across from a large, dark wood four poster bed. The walls were stone but a different assortment of royal looking deep burgundy tapestries with exquisite designs hung on them. She walked through the room to a large bathroom where a black clawfoot tub sat in the dead center. She was in awe. She never imagined she would be somewhere like this after the past year and a half in the miserable, dank Outpost under Venable's purple reign of terror. 

She heard Michael's footsteps echo behind her until she felt him near her.

"I will be checking on you sporadically to see how you're adjusting to your new home." He broke the silence, his warm breath tickling her ear, "For now, I must leave you." 

Before she could give him a proper response he was out of the door and down the hallway, his footsteps echoing into the distance. She slipped out of her heels and went to place them in the closet in the bathroom that she noticed. She opened the door to find a walk in closet with a dressing bench and filled to the brim with black clothes ranging in styles and exspensive looking materials. She placed her heels on a shoe rack near at least a dozen of other pairs of Louboutins in more styles than she could imagine. He did all of this for her. For her comfort. She spoke to him in the Outpost after one of their trysts of the things she missed from before the Apocalypse, but she never considered that he would remember. 

She hung up her cape and stripped out of the rest of her outfit and into the tub where she had ran a bath with water hotter than she had in the past year. She didn't care if she would boil alive. She rested her head on the back of the tub to relax, but her thoughts had different ideas. Her head swam with thoughts of Michael, eyes hooded with lust and looking down at her while thrusting hungrily between her legs. She splashed her face with water but the burning in her core persisted. No more middle of the night visits from Michael. He made that perfectly clear after their last night spent together in the Outpost. She knew him well enough to know he meant it and it was eating at her. She finally finished with her bath and slipped into the silky sheets of her new bed. It was large for one person but she fell into a deep sleep quicker than she anticipated. 

Michael kept his word and would check in on her every few days. He would often catch her in the library where she had an endless amount of first editions to throw herself into. He also kept his word on his visits to her. He never once came to her room, although the pulling in her stomach told her that she wished he would. 

She was sitting quietly with a book in the sitting room when she overheard a conversation between two strangers talking about Michael's departure. He had left the Sanctuary to go to a different Outpost from the one she was in to do more interviews there. Her stomach dropped into her toes. She didn't know when he would return. She was alone in a strange place and she quickly took to secluding herself in her room. 

She would only wander amongst the population for breakfast and dinner. She had hoped to fly under the radar to the others of the Sanctuary, but they quickly began to whisper about her anyways. To her annoyance she also caught the attention of a man as well. He looked to be in his mid 40's. Handsome with silver peppering his black hair and the smug grin of a man that was a somebody when the world was still whole. He would make small talk with her every day when they would have breakfast at the same time. Aemilia was annoyed at first, wanting to be left alone to shake off her grogginess in the morning. However she quickly became amused by him and she enjoyed the distraction. 

Aemilia spent 4 months in this routine with no return of Michael. She would occasionally even have dinner with the man as well. She was comfortable enough around him and he seemed to be enamored by her. She made herself clear in the beginning that she didn't want anything serious with him. She eventually found herself bringing him back to her room one night. She shoved him back onto her bed and was giving him the ride of his life. She was horrified when she lolled her head back, squeezing her eyes shut to only suddenly begin to think about Michael being the one writhing underneath her. She came quickly from the thoughts of him and immediately felt guilt pulling her stomach, not that Gabriel took any notice of it. He had his signature smug grin plastered on his face afterwards, believing it was him that had this effect on her body. 

The next morning over breakfast there was suddenly hushed murmuring in the room and she turned to see Michael standing in the doorway. Her heart skipped a beat. Then her eyes quickly went to the svelte creature arm in arm with him. She was beautiful but the scowl that seemed permanently written on her face ruined her beauty. Aemilia's heart immediately sunk into her stomach. He had already replaced her. Not that it should matter to her, now that things were heating up with her and Gabriel. She couldn't help the pang of jealousy she felt. It ripped through her like a knife. She was snapped out of it by a groan coming from Gabe across the table from her.

"I know he's the supposed Antichrist, but I can't stand him." He rolled his eyes, shoveling more eggs into his mouth. 

Aemilia's lips pressed into a thin line. She knew more about him than Gabriel would have ever expected. She turned her head back towards Michael again to find his eyes directly on her, narrowing when they glanced to the man sitting across from her at the table. The girl that was on his arm was already sitting with the table of gossipy women that were always too loud in the morning for Aemilia's taste. She glanced back towards Michael and a small smirk upturned his plump lips when their eyes met again. Aemilia raised an eyebrow and turned her back towards him. 

Later that night she was sitting quietly in the library like she did every other evening when she felt someone's presence behind her. She immediately knew who it was without even turning around.  He approached and sat in the chair across from her. He stared at her silently until she finally looked up at him. 

"Glad to see your trip went well." Her statement dripped with sarcasm. 

"It went quite swimmingly." Michael smirked, his eyes taunting her, "It seems you've settled in pretty easily."

The double meaning of his comment didn't go unnoticed by Aemilia and she slammed the book she was holding shut. 

"I didn't know you brought me here to turn me into a nun, Langdon. Maybe if you would have specified, I would have kept my legs closed." Aemilia retorted, enjoying the tense look in his eyes. "It seems you've moved on perfectly fine. Pot calling the cauldron black, don't you think?"

Michael's lips turned downwards into a frown, a hurt look replacing the tenseness on his face. He stood and stared down at Aemilia, his eyes never leaving hers. He simply shook his head and left the room. She watched him leave and immediately regretted what she said. She meant it, wholeheartedly, she did. She just didn't want him to leave, however. She shrugged off the icky emotions that pulled at her and shuffled to her room. 

She laid down in her bed and her heart was still pounding in her chest. She didn't know what was going on with her but she needed to pull it together real quick. She was eventually able to relax and slipped into a deep sleep. She quickly found herself in the dark room from previous dreams of Michael. Before she could even react she heard his footsteps approaching. The little light that was in the room bounced off of his blue eyes and she was spellbound by them. He stood closely to her, reaching out one of his large hands to stroke her jaw. 

"Black looks good on you, but jealousy looks even better, Little Witch."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter than normal, but I couldn't help but keep writing. I hope y'all enjoy.


	14. Chapter 13; Agony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANGST, and sex.

Michael was tormented with thoughts of her every waking moment. The second Aemilia said she didn't believe in love he felt like the lost and unloved kid he once was. The overwhelming sadness persisted through the months that followed, but he hid it well. He decided to form a truce with her so he could take her with him to the Sanctuary. He wanted her safe, regardless of whether she wanted to be with him or not.

His chest felt hollow and sleep didn't come easy night after night. He would wake up in a cold sweat, his hands searching for the person that was nowhere near him. They had never even shared a bed overnight, which upset Michael even more.

He gave her all of the things that she had told him she missed simply because he wanted to see her happy. It took all he had not to let tears fall at the smile that was on her face when she saw the room he gave her. Little did she know, it was actually his before he had it redone for her. He would do anything for her.

Except make her love him. 

He believed with every fiber of his being that he was threaded to her. She was his one and only soulmate but she refused it so quickly that it nearly gave Michael whiplash. He could only hope that one day she would be led to him. 

Until then, he withdrew himself from her life, save for small talk to make sure she was doing well. He didn't go to her at night when his cock ached for her and he kept himself from entering her dreams. He finally reached a breaking point and decided to leave the Sanctuary all together. He needed to be away from her, at leasr for a while. He could hear her voice, smell her perfume, but he couldn't touch her. It was too painful. 

He traveled to the next Outpost due for interviews and tried to put his feelings for her behind him. He struck fear into every person as he had at all of the other Outposts. Even Ava. 

Ava was a one of the citizens of the Outpost he was currently at. She was beautiful in every conventional way, but she was a complete bitch. She hid it well behind a facade of sweetness at first, until he broke her down and got her to admit every dark secret she kept. He eventually realized that she lusted after him. He sternly rebuffed her advances at first, still in emotional turmoil over Aemilia. Finally one night she kissed him after she had been in his office. It felt wrong. His skin crawled and he pushed her away. He missed the softness of Aemilia's lips. Ava was more aggressive in every aspect, whereas Aemilia was more calculated with every move and flick of her tongue.

He thought about her every night in bed when he had his fist wrapped around himself, trying to relieve himself from the memories of her. He wondered if she thought about him the same when she was alone in bed at night. He finally gave into Ava after she kept offering herself up daily. On the particular night in his office, he couldn't take it anymore. It hurt to put his cock in another but he needed to do something to stave off his frustrations. She wasn't particularly likeable, which made it easier for Michael to disconnect. 

His nerves were bubbling up when the carriage pulled up in front of the entrance to the Sanctuary after months had passed. He wondered how he'd find Aemilia or how she was going to react to seeing him again. He inwardly cringed when Ava looped her arm through his before they walked through the entrance. He had brought her with him strictly for her company, but she somehow got it into her head that she was more than just a lover. He could see the power trip from being with a man of status quickly take ahold of Ava by the way she looked down on the others. He wasn't surprised, she was shallow in that way. They strolled through the Sanctuary making their way to the dining room where breakfast was already being served. 

His eyes brushed over everyone and immediately found Aemilia. She was sitting across from a man, sharing breakfast. He watched her tilt her head back with a laugh at whatever he was saying. His stomach instantly turned. He knew he shouldn't have left her, but he needed to. He watched Aemilia take notice of the people talking around her until she turned around and their eyes met. She stared at him blankly and her eyes drifted to Ava, who still had her arm firmly looped through his. Their eyes narrowed at each other and she turned her back to him, only glancing back once to which he smirked. 

He found an excuse to leave the dining room after Ava sat with the bitchiest heiresses in the Sanctuary, which was again, no surprise to Michael. He found solace in his room, but he found himself stirring after a few hours. He couldn't stand to be alone anymore and left his bedroom for a walk. He was walking by the Library when he caught a glimpse of Aemilia with her nose buried in a book and he came to a sudden stop. He decided to try and talk with her after simply staring for a minute. What he wasn't expecting was her attitude. It almost felt like when they first met. They went tit for tat until Aemilia went one step too far. The last thing he wanted was her wanting another.

He had to be as far away from her as he could possibly be when his world came crashing down on him. He kept his stride even on the way to his room but hurriedly slammed the door once he was inside. He immediately slid his back down the door with his hands in his hair. The tears came immediately. He was breathless and silent sobs shook his body. Under no circumstances would Michael have expected to react this way. He was truly an emotional child but he had changed so much. It was so painful to think about another man inside of  her and she pushed it into his head to spite him. But why?

She didn't love him. Why would she even care what he did?

He knew he would have to keep his facade of happiness with Ava on instead of ripping her esophagus out like he wanted to do a majority of the time. Many nights he lay near her in his bed awake and staring at the ceiling. He didn't know what was becoming of him but he knew he couldn't turn it off. He and Aemilia were his predestined, how could she deny him and it so easily? 

He thought back to when she shook his hand, her eyes looked up to him widenening and her mouth fell open slightly. He swore she finally felt it. The strange thrumming he felt every time he laid even so much as a finger on her. 

He broke his own rules and went to her in a dream that night. He called her out on her bullshit and disappeared like vapor before she even had a chance to respond. He would play her games. He decided on throwing a banquet for his own return. He would see how she would react to him and Ava. 

If she felt nothing for him, she definitely wouldn't feel jealousy. 

He sent out an announcement to the Sanctuary about the Banquet and everyone seemed thrilled about it. Everyone except Aemilia. She watched them hand out the invitation  to her. She rolled her eyes, putting the envelope onto the table and returned to whatever conversation her and Gabriel were having. He wasn't even sure if she would show, which nearly rendered the Banquet pointless to him.

To his surprise however, she did show. Arm in arm with him. She had on of the long black gowns he had hand picked out for her himself. A dangerous slit up her thigh, revealing her flesh caused Michael's mouth to go dry. He caught her eye and she flashed a toothy grin at Michael with a knowing look in her eyes.

Ava strolled up to Michael's side and placed her arm through his, the way she always did. Her floor length dress nearly matched the shade of red of her hair and her large green eyes were accentuated with smoky shadow. Michael actually found himself admiring her for a moment. 

And then she opened her mouth.

"I thought all of the people in here were rich." She whispered with a scowl on her face, "Why do they look like literal peasants?"

Michael rolled his eyes and pulled her around to introduce her to everyone just to spite her. He had told Ava in confidence about Aemilia while laying in bed at her Outpost. The look on her face was a mixture of jealousy and more of her terrible attitude. Michael had just needed someone to talk to, but it was pointless. He realized now the entire thing was a complete mistake. This is why he never gave into human needs before.

Michael finally made his way over to where Aemalia stood with Gabriel, arm in arm with Ava. He tilted his head and smirked when Aemilia's eyes narrowed at him. If looks could kill he would have a dagger through his heart. Up close the man next to her looked familiar. He summed it up to having interviewed him, otherwise he wouldn't have been in the Sanctuary. Though his mind blanked on any details about him.

"Hello, Ms. Price. Good to see you again." Michael nodded at Aemilia, "Michael Langdon." Michael held out his hand to Gabriel. Gabriel shook it but had a look of contempt on his face. 

"Aemilia Price, it's a pleasure to meet you." Aemilia held her hand out to Ava.

"Charmed." Ava sneered, her eyes sweeping the room for someone more exciting and ignoring Aemilia's outstretched hand. 

Aemilia raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Michael before grabbing Gabriel's hand and walking away. Michael's stomach sunk at the sight of it. He turned back to Ava to reprimand her for her behaviour but she was already drifting through the crowd of people, her face plastered with a her signature fake, pearly smile.

Michael searched the large crowd for Aemilia with no sight of her. He walked out into the hall thinking maybe she needed some air but still nothing. He finally decided to try the Library. He approached and heard a angry muffled voice coming from behind the doors. One of them was slightly ajar and he saw her. He realized she looked scared. He watched Gabriel berate Aemilia about not wanting more with him until she finally shut him down. He responded by slapping her across the face, nearly knocking her unconscious. Michael quickly began to step in to rip his beating heart out of his chest. Before he could cross the doorway Aemilia lifted her hand and clenched, causing Gabriel to let out a pain stricken scream. He clutched the hand he slapped her with close to his body. 

"You broke my hand, you bitch!" Gabriel spat. 

Aemilia lifted her head and Michael could see the blood dripping from her lip and the bruise forming around her eye. She wiped the blood from her lip and her eyes met Gabriel's with such intensity that Michael was surprised she hadn't killed him yet. She arched an eyebrow at the man, "How could I have possibly done that?" She let out a laugh, angering the man further. 

Michael couldn't take it anymore and abruptly slammed the door open, letting hit the back wall and echo throughout the room. He tilted his head to the side and stared the other man down. Gabriel scowled out Michael and rushed past him out of the room. Michael walked to the front of the chair where she sat, and squatted down in front of her. She faced away from him, trying to hide her bruises. Michael gently grabbed her chin and turned her to face him. She was still beautiful under the blood and bruises. His rage boiled inside of him and he clenched his jaw. He couldn't stand to see what that asshole had done to her. Her eyes remained downcast, she was avoiding his.

"Aemilia, look at me." He said barely above a whisper.

Her eyes looked up to meet his and it took all he had not to let out a sob. The left side of her face was bruising in the shape of a handprint and her eye had already turned purple. Her bottom lip had stopped bleeding but it was swollen. Regardless of whether she loved him or not he loved her with every fiber of his being and it took all he had not to find Gabriel at that moment and snap his neck. 

"You should go, Michael." Aemilia lowered her eyes, a tenseness in her voice.

"Aemilia, I can't leave you like this." Michael replied softly, trying to hold back tears.

"Ava will be wondering where you are." Aemilia stated coldly, her eyes meeting his once again and matching the tone in her voice.

"Aemi-" Michael began to try and 

"Michael. Leave. Me. Alone." Aemilia practically growled.

He stood straight, taken aback by her reaction. He realized he shouldn't have been surprised. He tilted his head at her but he eyes drilled into his and he knew she meant it. He quickly left the room, slamming the door behind him.

He was beyond frustrated when he yanked Ava out of the party and practically drug her to a quiet part of the hallway while she whined about leaving the party. He suddenly stopped and pushed her against the wall, his lips immediately going for where her pulse was located, pulling a moan from her. His hand hurriedly spun her around to bend her over and pushed up her dress. She whinced when he suddenly pushed himself into her. Michael gripped her throat and pounded into the redhead harder and faster with each passing moment, causing her to squeal and try maintain a grip on the wall.  

"I fucking hate you." He grunted out. 

She responded with a string of loud moans that made Michael's hand quickly go to her mouth to keep her quiet. In his head he replaced the red dress he was holding with a black one, freckled skin with ivory, and the red hair he had his hand tangled in with dark brown. It was the only thing that ever got him over the edge and he had a feeling Ava knew it. Not that she cared, she was only using him for her status and he was fully aware of it.

He helped her straighten herself up when they were done and she shot him a smirk before going the opposite way in the hall as him, back to the Banquet. Michael could have cared less about it now that Aemilia wasn't there, Ava knew as much because she didn't bother arguing with him. 

Michael turned his shower on the hottest setting and let the water pour down his body, cleansing himself of what he had just done. His thoughts wandered back to Aemilia and her bruised face. The tears in her eyes made him want to turn the entire Sanctuary inside out and tear it apart. He remembered the piece of shit Gabriel from interviews when he was face to face with him but it wasn't until a certain moment in his shower that he realized why he recognized him. He was dark and easy to pull apart in the interview and Michael pushed him to confess about striking his ex wife and other girlfriends on certain occasions. 

He beat both of his fists against the stone shower wall. He could have stopped it before it even happened if he hadn't have left her alone in the first place. Tears slipped from his eyes and were quickly washed away by the water falling on his face. He thoughts about the scared look on her face and it stoked the fire inside of him. He would destroy him. 

He walked backed into his bedroom to find it still empty of Ava. He sighed, relieved that he could be alone. He had already decided to go to Aemilia in a dream if she refused to let him be there in person. He laid back and closed his eyes and struggled to fall asleep but he finally fell into a deep sleep. 

He was in the space where they always met, but she was nowhere in sight. He knew she may not have even been asleep yet but something didn't feel right. He heard the click of heels closing in on him and saw the small shadow that he knew was Aemilia. He would recognize her energy anywhere. She was wearing the cape he gave her and her eyes looked darker than normal.

"Looking for me, Langdon?" She cooed.

"I was concerned about you, Aemilia." Michael softened his voice, before it came out in a frustrated tone that mirrored how he felt. 

"You needn't be concerned for me." She tilted her head and clicked her tongue, eyes never leaving his. 

"It's not an emotion I can choose to ignore. You should realize by now." Michael nearly growled back, to his own surprise. 

"And you should realize I can take care of myself by now." She growled back, the power behind it knocking him to the floor. 

He was taken aback when found himself laying on his back on the cold ground. His mouth was still agape when he gathered his wits to stand. She simply stared down at him.

"I know- know you can." He slowly stuttered, "But I still want to protect you."

"I don't need your help." She cackled, disappearing into thin air seconds after.

Michael's eyes shot open and he sat up in his bed trying to catch his breath. He laid back when he finally relaxed, his thoughts about the Little Witch running through his head at a million miles an hour. He was already fully aware of what she was and her strength, but the raw power that dripped from her surprised him and nearly knocked him, the actual Antichrist, to his feet. She had became stronger in his absence and he couldn't help but wonder if she was more than just a simple witch. 

He had to find out for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much angst.


	15. Chapter 14: Welsh Witch.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter that spilled out this afternoon that I wanted to publish before a long shift at work tonight. Aemilia's Welsh background is beginning to come into play slowly. I hope y'all enjoy reading as much as I did writing.

Aemilia's face was still tender for the next few days but the bruises had finally begun to fade into an ugly shade of jaundice. The swelling in her lip went down enough for her to decide to return to her usual habits. She sat down at the only empty table for breakfast to the delightful sounds of Ava snickering and giggling with 4 other women at the table opposite of her. Aemilia rolled her eyes and smirked at Ava. The redhead looked uncomfortable for a moment but quickly returned to her attention to the other ladies and once again began snickering.

Aemilia was leaving the dining room and wasn't paying attention when she smacked into another form. She looked up to apologize but was immediately annoyed when she found herself nearly pressed up against Michael. He twisted his lips into a frown while his cerulean eyes grazed over the still apparent bruises on her cheek. Michael's lips parted to say something but was quickly interrupted by a throat clearing and a shrill voice.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ava crossed her arms, glaring from Aemilia to Michael.

Aemilia smirked at Ava. Her running into Michael was a complete accident but it was worth the look on Ava's face when she saw them, chests nearly touching. Aemilia looked back up to Michael and locked her eyes on his.

"Not at all, right Michael?" She shook her head, patting him on the chest and smirking at Ava. 

She heard Ava quietly swearing at Michael as she was walking away and giggled to herself. She let herself into her room and immediately plopped down onto the dark, satin sheets. She heard her door open suddenly and slam shut. She sat up as quick as she could but it was no contest when a man's hand wrapped around her neck. She opened her eyes to see Gabriel above her, eyes filled with rage squeezing her neck harder. She kicked and scratched but she couldn't gain the upper hand. Every noise she tried to make evaporated from her lack of oxygen. Her heart thudded in her chest until it finally started to slow. Her consciousness was fading quickly and she was suddenly swallowed by darkness. Her last thoughts were filled with regrets and Michael.   
_____________________________________

Michael was still in the hallway, about to rip out Ava's throat for her insolence when his heart began to pound harder than he could ever remember. He felt light headed but more noticeable than everything else, he didn't feel her. Ever since the blood ritual he and Aemilia had done he could always feel her energy, even when in another room and even when he was in the other Outpost all of those months. It was the only comfort he took, knowing she was at least alive. 

That comfort was ripped from him in those previous moments. Ava stared, dumbfounded at his strange behavior. He pushed her to the side and quickly sprinted for the library. She was nowhere in sight. He finally made it to her bedroom door and was greeted by the deafening silence behind it. Panic caused him to shove the door open, letting it slam against the wall. He stood in the doorway and immediately choked out a loud sob. 

Aemilia was sprawled out on her bed, dark hair a mess around her, and only lit by the fire burning across the room. He slowly stepped forward until he was directly over her. He saw the large dark purple bruises around her neck and the shade of blue her lips had turned around her silently screaming mouth. Her dark eyes were open and staring at the wall behind Michael. 

He felt like he had been kicked in the chest when he crumpled to the floor. He hung his head between his knees and simply sobbed. Everything was blurry around him from the tears and he was having trouble catching his breath. The human side of him reared its ugly head as his entire world crashed down around him.

After a few minutes he calmed down enough to crawl onto the bed near her lifeless body. He gently touched her arm, recoiling at the coldness of her skin. He gently lifted her and carried her down the hall. He knew who had ripped his soulmate away and intended to make an example out of him in front of every citizen of the Outpost. The tears had dried and any sign of him being distraught had disappeared.  

Now he too would feel the same pain.

He stoically trudged the halls with her body in his arms until he reached the great room where most people spent their time. Heads turned towards him as he entered, Aemilia's lifeless body still in his arms. His eyes didn't waver when he spotted Gabriel sitting between two women laughing and doting on him because of his broken hand. Gabriel looked over to see Michael coming directly towards him and visibly swallowed. 

Surely he wasn't dumb enough to think there wouldn't be reproccussions? 

Michael gently placed Aemilia's body on a table nearby and turned to face Gabriel. The two women that were sitting near Gabriel on the couch quickly skittered away, leaving him the only one in Michael's line of sight. As much as he wanted to snap his neck and end him immediately, that wouldn't exactly be making an example. 

Michael spoke up loudly and with an even toned voice, "I want you to tell all of the others what you have done to Ms. Price before you meet the same fate." Michael nodded in the direction of the others. 

"I didn't do anything, " Gabriel swallowed, sinking further into the couch, "I would never do that. You have no proof." 

"I would say the bruises across her cheek are proof enough as to why we haven't seen Ms. Price lately until this morning." Michael stepped closer, eyes boring into Gabriel's very soul. "Did anyone else in this room see who Aemilia's date to the Banquet was?" 

Michael was answered with quiet murmuring from the rest in the room, some even pointing at Gabriel. From the way he and the terrified man were angled, Gabriel was the only one who saw when Michael's skin flickered deathly white and his eyes completely blacked out. The man tried to scream but it was cut short when Michael reached forward and pulled back at the air, Gabriel's throat following the motion of his hand when it was ripped out. He slumped down on his side and Michael heard women cry out from behind him.

Michael turned to look at his citizens and every one of them had fear in their eyes. He swept the room with his eyes and quickly spotted Ava standing in one of the doorways with her eyes wide, staring at Aemilia and Gabriel's lifeless bodies before they met Michael's. She redirected them when she saw him looking back at her but he continued to do so when he spoke.

"Fear not. For if you follow the rules no harm will ever become of you. Let this be a lesson to everyone here." Michael stated before scooping Aemilia's body up and leaving the room.

He brushed past Ava when walking out of the door and continued his solemn walk back to her room. He gently placed her body back in her bed before sitting on the edge to face away from her. His thoughts were scattered and tears silently fell from his eyes. He couldn't be parted from her. 

Michael would have to do something he hadn't done since years before the end itself.

Descensum.

______________________________________

Michael walked down the halls of hell until he found the correct door that would lead him directly to Aemilia's own personal hell. He opened the door and stepped inside to find himself in a crowd of medieval appearing people staring up at Aemilia tied to a stake. The sky was dark except for the torches some of them held. They shouted "Wrach!" repeatedly while Aemilia sobbed. One the villagers began to touch his torch to the hay underneath her when his eyes suddenly rolled back into his head. Blood began to pour from his eyes and ears before he collapsed to the ground, his torch falling to the side. Every other person around them slowly started to follow the same fate, some writhing and others going silent immediately. Aemilia stared at the crowd in horror until her eyes met Michael, arms stretched out and eyes rolled into the back of his head. Once every person was on the ground his face returned to normal and he quickly made his way over towards her and quickly untied the rope. Aemilia sobbed into his chest when he pulled her into his arms. Michael quickly pulled her away from him and stroked her cheek. 

"I- I don't know how many times I burned alive. It was so painful, Michael." Aemilia sobbed. 

"We have to get you out of here." Michael stated, standing her on her feet.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room. They both sprinted down the white hallway until they were met with the final door in sight. A very large black door that Michael quickly flung open and pulled her through. 

______________________________________

Michael opened his eyes to find himself back in Aemilia's room, still splayed out on the floor. To his relief, Aemilia suddenly sat up moments after him, coughing and clutching her neck. Her lips were still blue but the life had completely returned to her eyes. She turned to look at Michael and he could see the rosiness slowly returning to her cheeks. 

He quickly stood and went to her on the bed. She managed to control her coughing but tears followed. Michael pulled her to his chest and held her, glad to feel the warmth back in her skin. He let her sob in his chest until his shirt was nearly soaked with tears. She finally managed to catch her breath and to his surprise she looked up at him with accusatory eyes.

"Where were you, Michael?" Aemilia asked, hurt prominent in her eyes.

"You were only gone for a few minutes, Aemilia." Michael pleaded, pulling her back to his chest, "I felt the absence of you immediately, I ran to you, but I was too late." 

"Where is he?" Aemilia pulled back from Michael, trying to find balance on her unsteady feet, "I'll rip his throat out."

"He won't be able to hurt you again, Aemilia." Michael stated.

Aemilia exhaled and crumpled to her knees on the ground. She sobbed into her own hands, barely able to catch her breath. Michael say quietly beside her on the floor, eyes on her intently and hand rubbing her back. 

"The last thing I rememeber before I was tied up on that post was your face, Michael." She finally turned her eyes to his, "Why were you the last thing I thought of? I fucking loathe you."

Michael's heart pounded in response to her cutting words. He looked at the floor to recover from the hit and finally returned his eyes to hers. "Because you are tied to me, and I to you, Aemilia." He breathed.

"Whether you want to be or not."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst and plot twists galore. Bet you didn't see any of that coming.


	16. Chapter 15; Hardest of Hearts

The walk to the dining room the next morning was unnerving. Everyone she passed on the way stared at her, mouths agape, like they were seeing a literal ghost. She quickly grew uncomfortable and pulled her sweater tighter around her body. She heard whispers about the bruises on her neck, one in particular of how she was "Surely dead." the afternoon before. 

She walked into the dining room to see Ava sitting in the usual huddle of women. Her skin went ashen when her eyes met Aemilia's. 

Ameilia didn't have the energy to toy with the other woman and quietly sat in a corner with her coffee. The hot liquid hit her throat and she squeezed her eyes  closed at the sensation. She thought back to when she and her poppa would have coffee in the mornings when she went to stay with her parents. The comforting thought relaxed her until she heard a ruckus and her eyes looked up to see Michael cutting through the dining room and making a bee line right for her. 

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked, jaw clenching when he reached her. 

"I'm having coffee, Michael." Aemilia sighed.

"Aemilia," Michael breathed, "All of these people saw you dead yesterday. Are you going to give them an explanation for why you are no longer deceased?"

"I'm not the one that owes them an explanation." Aemilia stood, laying her palms flat on the table, "I didn't ask to have my dead body paraded around. What was your plan anyways? Hide me away from everyone? For how long?"

Aemilia saw the frustration quickly growing on his face. For a man that ruled the world, he was clearly one without a plan. He brought her back with no plans or an explanation. 

Tied to him or not, what was the point of it? 

"You clearly misunderstand my reasons for bringing you back," Michael whispered, answering the questions she left unsaid before walking away, "I'll leave you."

Aemilia's stomach turned and she decided against finishing the rest of her coffee. She headed back to her room feeling numb, ignoring the stares from the ones that hadn't yet seen her alive again. She quietly shut her doot behind her and curled up into the large chair in front of the fireplace. She sat and stared into the flames for longer than she realized, snapping out of it at the sound of her bedroom door closing behind her. She turned to see Michael standing in her doorway. She didn't say anything as he crossed the room and sat on the floor in front of the fireplace. 

He opened his mouth to say something and she watched him carefully choosing his words. 

"I've lead a strange existence, Aemilia." He exhaled, "My mother died unexpectedly during my birth. I was bounced around from home to home, never truly believing anyone could love someone like myself," Michael's bottom lip quivered at the admition, "Never destined to have the warmth of a home. I would have never guessed being the spawn of Satan and hellfire that I would ever be tied to anyone."

Aemilia watched his eyes go misty while he spoke, for the first time opening himself up to her. Or anyone for that matter. She didn't know anything about Michael's childhood or origins, she only knew what she was told about him as an adult by Cordelia. She was told of the atrocities he was destined execute on the coven and more so, the world. For the first time she was viewing him as a human in his vulnerable state. He did after all still possess a part of him that was human. 

"But I am tied to you," He locked eyes with her and calmly explained, a few tears streaming down his face, "I'm an intuitive being and I know this is the last thing that you want, to ever be tied to a monster like me."

Aemilia let her eyes soften, for once. He continued to speak and she couldn't push down the feeling growing inside of her from watching the All powerful Michael's walls crumbling down. He had committed numerous horrible acts however and it was hard for her to look past them. He cost her what remained of her family, regardless of whether she was close to them or not. She was sitting alone in an underground sanctuary, grand as it may be, because of him. However she chose to listen.

"I only wish you could begin to feel a fraction of what I feel for you," Michael broke eye contact to stare at the fire, "I am in love with you, painfully so. As wrong as it seems. I was in love with you before I found out our lives were to be intertwined and I've continued to be even when I've tried everything in my power to banish it all together."

"Clearly." Aemilia couldn't help the snarky comment about Ava before it rolled off of her tongue.

Michael's eyes shot to hers and they were filled with regret and a twinge of anger as he rose to his feet, "I did what I felt I needed to slake my lust, Aemilia," Michael seethed, "Obviously my absence didn't stop you from doing the same." 

"I don't know what's gotten into your head Michael, but I don't belong to you," Aemila replied, standing up to return Michael's glare, "I don't believe for a second in the visions you've had about us, because they were purely that. Visions. Hallucinations"

Michael's jaw went slack and his eyes widened. She knew he had just poured his heart out, but she couldn't push down the rage. She stuck her words into his chest like a dagger. She was surprised by how wounded Michael looked, but she meant what she said.

"Please leave." Aemilia motioned for the door turning her back to him.

Michael left without so much as uttering another word, slamming  the door behind him. She half expected to recieve a slap to her cheek, yet he simply left. She felt for a moment like she had finally defeated him. However a wave of guilt washed over her. 

A beast he may be, but he didn't ask to be born so. He was still part human. Flesh, bone, and emotions. 

She knew how much he loved her, but she didn't understand how he believed the obvious hallucinations he had. As if fate had decided to tie her to him. The thought made her roll her eyes. 

She laid back onto her bed and watched the light from the flames flicker on the stone ceiling. She felt her chest tighten and she inhaled deeply. Claustrophobia came over her in waves.

She would never see the outside again. Stuck in the Sanctuary until her body finally decided to give out. 

Stuck.

______________________________________

Aemilia didn't realize how quickly she had fallen asleep or that she even had when she was blinking awake from the familiar sensation of someone's weight sitting at the foot of her bed. She sat up quickly, pulling the blankets around her when she saw Michael. He sat on the edge of the bed, his blue eyes eyes met hers and they were filled with a familiar look of hunger. His breathing was border lining ragged and Aemilia silently watched him. 

It had been months since she saw him this way. Raw, and not holding it together like his every day Langdon persona. Before her brain could process what was happening Michael moved his body across her bed and his lips crashed into her with such force that the candles alite around them flickered. As quickly as Aemilia's thoughts came crashing forward, she just as quickly pushed Michael away. 

She saw the hurt reach his eyes. His frustration showed itself when the tears began to pool under his eyes, slowly leaving a trail down his cheeks. It was surprisingly Michael that broke the silence after a few moments of the fireplace crackling being the only source of noise in the room. 

"You came here to kill me," Michael spoke less emotionally, "Yet you haven't followed through. Why?"

No clear answer came to Aemilia, realizing that he knew her purpose in the first outpost.

"How long have you known?" Aemilia asked. 

"The moment I saw you." Michael broke eye contact, "However, I was drawn to your darkness. Also, the light you have left inside of you. It was almost... a beacon for me."

"A beacon?" Aemilia whispered, confusion washing over her.

Their eyes met. She watched his lips part and close again. Whatever he was thinking of saying he decided against quickly. 

"I've made a decision today." Michael finally spoke, "I'm returning to the first outpost." 

Aemilia started to speak but was quickly cut off by Michael.

"Permanently." Michael emphasized, "I will not be returning here again. This sanctuary will be watched over by my most trusted, as will you."

Aemilia had no words. She simply stared at him, waiting for his reasoning. She was met with his lips crashing into hers again instead. This time she kissed him back. They quickly stripped off each others clothes, the feeling of urgency coursing through her veins. 

This was the last time.

Michael quickly had her on all fours, gripping her hip with one hand and his other was wrapped around her throat, pulling her back to him. She felt his teeth scrape against her neck, she gasped at how overwhelmed all of her senses were. The familiar smell of Michael's skin. The feeling of herself wrapped around him and his hand around her neck. The sound of him groaning close to her ear. The taste of him still on her lips. The always hungry look in his eyes when he flipped her onto her back. 

She wrapped her legs around his waist and made a mental note of every sensation. She felt his heart pounding when their chests were pressed together. She noticed the slight tremble that crossed his bottom lip when he squeezed his eyes closed, no doubt realizing this would be the last time they would be together if he stuck to his plan. 

His thrusts became more intense and urgent.  His eyes opened and met hers. The intensity of his gaze told her that he was about to come and she was only hanging on by a thread herself. Aemilia saw Michael bite his lower lip before her vision went white.

Michael laid his head on her chest and she felt his breathing slow. No words were exchanged between the two afterwards. They both slipped quickly into sleep curled into each other. 

_________________________________

Michael slipped out of the bed quietly while she was asleep, gently stroking her dark hair and letting a last look at her sleeping face sink into his memory. Forcing the tears back, he quietly left her room so as not to wake her. The sound of her voice would undo him and the plans he made to leave. 

In the carriage riding away he felt the invisible pull to her more than ever.

It was far too late for any second thoughts, but he couldn't help but feel the nagging sensation that he was making a mistake by leaving her behind. He couldn't bear to always have her at an arms length away anymore. He needed to be away from her

Permanently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long bought of writers block and staying busy with a summer job, I finally finished the 15th chapter and have already started the 16th. Thank you so much for reading!


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